Powerful Typhoon Fitow May Approach Eastern Japan

Wednesday, September 5th 2007, 5:37 am

By: News On 6

TOKYO, Sept. 5 (Kyodo) _ A powerful typhoon moving westward off the Ogasawara island chain in the Pacific is feared to approach eastern Japan on Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said early Wednesday.

Typhoon Fitow, the season's ninth, is expected to bring strong winds and high tides in waters south of the Izu island chain on Wednesday morning, it said.

At 2 a.m., Fitow was located on waters 200 kilometers northwest of Chichijima Island, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, moving west-northwest at 15 kilometers per hour.

The typhoon had an atmospheric pressure of 970 hectopascals at its center, packing winds of 108 kilometers per hour.

Winds of at least 90 kph were observed within a 90 kilometer radius from its center.

The typhoon is expected to develop further as it approaches the southern edge of the Izu Islands on Thursday, the agency said.