Typhoon Leaves 2300 homes without power in south Japan

Typhoon Francis left over 2,300 houses on the Tokunoshima and Yoronjima islands in southern Japan's Kagoshima without electricity on Thursday, according to reports which cited Kyushu Electric Power company. The tropical typhoon is moving deeper into Japan's mainland with wind speed in the epicenter around 35 meters per second, weather officials said. Landslides warning has been issued in the northeastern prefecture of Oita as rain up to 300mm in one day is expected in Kyushu according to forecasts by the national meteorological administration. Due to bad weather conditions, Japan-US joint exercises involving MV-22 Osprey vertiplanes scheduled for Friday were cancelled by Japan's Ministry of Defense. They were to be held in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku. According to Japanese meteorologists, another more powerful storm Lekima changed its trajectory and may pass through the country. Francis and Lekima became the 27th and 28th typhoons that formed in the Pacific this year. Last week, cyclone Wipha claimed lives of more than 30 people.