Typhoon Lan: Tens of thousands told to evacuate as Category 4 storm lashes Japan

Two killed as strong winds and heavy rain hit country on the country's election day

Typhoon Lan in the western Pacific (Getty Images)

Tens of thousands of people were told to evacuate their homes as powerful winds from Typhoon Lan lashed Japan on its election day.

Two people were killed by the Category 4 storm which also forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights and trains.

It is set to make landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu, possibly near Tokyo on Monday morning.

One man died under scaffolding that collapsed in high winds and a fisherman was killed as he tended to his boat, the Kyodo news agency reported. Several other people suffered minor injuries.

Typhoon Lan was gathering speed at it moved north-east towards land at 31mph the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The storm appeared to have waned slightly from its peak but could still pound parts of Japan with more than 80mm ( three inches) of rain an hour, said forecasters.

Lan is likely to have weakened to a category 2 or category 3 storm by the time it hits land.

"The wind and rain will grow stronger as the night goes on, so take measures as needed as early as possible, preferably before it gets dark," a JMA spokesman said.

The agency issued warnings for heavy rain and flooding on the Pacific side of Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area.

More than 70,000 households in various parts of Japan were advised to evacuate, with more than 5,000 ordered to do so, national broadcaster NHK said.

"I live alone and at night it's scary, so I came here as early as I could," said one elderly woman at an evacuation centre in western Japan.

Wind gusts of up to 111mph (180kph) were possible across central and eastern Japan early, JMA said, possibly hampering the morning rush hour even after the rain is expected to have largely dissipated.

Several small landslides had occurred and rivers were rising close to the top of their banks as parts of the country were drenched by double the average monthly rainfall within 48 hours.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had called on the government to take steps to minimise any threats to life.

More than 300 flights were cancelled and rail services were interrupted across the country, in one case due to a power outage.

Motor manufacturer Toyota said it was cancelling the first shift at all of its assembly plants and that it would decide on a later shift around Monday noon.

Mr Abe's ruling bloc was headed for a big win in the election, exit polls showed.

It was not immediately clear how the storm and evacuation warnings affected voter turnout.