TOKYO: Residents of a southern Japanese island were warned today of possible landslides as a strong typhoon approached China's heavily populated eastern seaboard.

Typhoon Bebinca passed through Japan's Amami island overnight, packing gusts of up to 198kph, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

"In the Amami region, the risk of landslides has increased due to the heavy rainfall until now," the JMA said.

Bebinca was forecast to make landfall near Shanghai early tomorrow, according to the forecaster's website.

The storm was expected to weaken to a tropical storm, with heavy rain and thunderstorms in some southern regions of Japan, it added.

Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

Last month, a powerful typhoon dumped heavy rains across Japan, triggering transport havoc and killing at least six people.

Strong rain in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the Japanese resort town of Atami that killed 27 people.

 - AFP