Typhoon Neoguri is taking aim at Japan's most populous¹ areas after dumping torrential rains on the southern islands of Okinawa.

Two people were killed and at least 28 injured as the storm moved across Okinawa on Wednesday, leaving 52,000 houses without power.

Though it has weakened, Neoguri is still packing wind gusts² of up to 162 kilometers per hour. But the main concern now is the slow-moving storm's heavy rainfall.

Forecasters warn that the island of Kyushu could see at least 300 millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period through mid-day Thursday, when it begins heading towards Tokyo and the city of Osaka, located on the main island of Honshu

Neoguri is posing a particular threat of landslides³ and floods, since it is hitting Japan at the end of its rainy season.

Japan usually is hit by several typhoons each year, but it is unusual for such a storm to hit as early as July.

台风浣熊在日本南部冲绳岛造成暴雨之后侵入日本人口稠密地区。

台风浣熊星期三经过冲绳岛时造成2人死亡，至少28人受伤，5万两千所住宅断电。

虽然有所减弱，但台风每小时的风速仍为162公里。人们现在主要担心的是移动缓慢的风暴带来的暴雨。

天气预报警告说，在星期四中午以前的24小时里，九州岛可能至少有300毫米的降雨量。台风星期四转向位于本州岛的东京和大阪。

日本雨季即将结束，台风浣熊此时来袭特别容易引起洪水和塌方。

虽然日本每年都会遭遇几次台风，但今年在七月初就刮台风实在不同寻常。