Over 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate areas of Japan which were threatened by an approaching storm. On Sunday, typhoon Haishen is expected to intensify, bringing heavy rain, storm surges and winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h).

On Sunday it will pass past Kyushu, and on Monday it is expected to land in South Korea. It comes days after Typhoon Maysak, one of the strongest storms in years to be hitting the area.

The new typhoon has resulted in the closing of factories, schools and businesses in west Japan. It also disrupted hundreds of flights and train services.

Japan 's government is set to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to address the storm on Sunday.

The country's weather agency said it was unlikely to give its most serious typhoon warning, but added that residents should exercise "most extreme caution" over potential record rains and high waves along the coastline.

Yoshihisa Nakamoto, director of the forecast division of the agency, told reporters that surge tides can also cause flooding in low-lying areas, particularly around the mouths of the rivers.

As a result of the storm, hundreds of thousands of people have been advised to move to designated shelters in places like schools and community centres. This includes all 36,600 residents of the city of Goto, in Nagasaki, where the typhoon may hit directly.

But local media report that some people have chosen to find safety in local hotels to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading in crowded public shelters.

Typhoon Haishen has also forced the coast guard of Japan to suspend its search for missing sailors from a cargo ship that sank during the Maysak typhoon.

The Gulf Livestock 1 went missing on Wednesday carrying 43 crew members and 6,000 cows. It has saved three crew members alive.