Typhoon Dolphin Lashes Okinawa, China Braces for Landfall

Typhoon Dolphin swept through Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring five people and cutting electricity to roughly 14,000 buildings. The Japan Meteorological Agency placed the storm about 160 km northwest of Kume Island, moving northwest at 15 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 162 kph and gusts up to 216 kph.

The Okinawan prefectural government reported that the injured were elderly residents, three of whom were knocked down by the wind. Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening. Domestic carriers ANA and Japan Airlines cancelled flights to the region as a precaution.

Forecasters expect Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture to bear the brunt of the storm in Japan. Meanwhile, China's National Meteorological Centre projected landfall along the eastern and southern coast between late Sunday and early Monday, most likely between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province. Winds near the centre could reach 38-45 metres per second.

In preparation, Zhejiang raised its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level, halted port operations, and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes. Ningbo Lishe International Airport will stop operations from Saturday night and suspend all flights on Sunday. Shanghai's Yangshan port was cleared of vessels by late Friday, and some rail services in the Yangtze River Delta will be halted from Sunday. Forecasters warn of heavy rain through August 12, with some areas of eastern Zhejiang possibly receiving over 600 mm.

Taiwan also felt the impact, with 63 international flights cancelled and heavy rain expected in the north over the weekend, though no evacuations had been ordered by Saturday. The storm has also drawn a political dimension: China ordered ships in the Taiwan Strait to follow its traffic control instructions, a move Taipei dismissed as "ridiculous," asserting that Beijing has no authority over international waters. China claims the strait as its own territory, a position rejected by both Taipei and Washington.