AIRS: Typhoon Ma-On Nears Japan

With winds gusting to 98 miles per hour, Category 2 Typhoon Ma-On is a large storm with typhoon force winds extending outward up to 50 miles from its center, while tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 225 miles.

Severe weather warnings are in effect for Kyushu, Shikoku, and Tokai regions. Currently about 550 miles southwest of Tokyo, Ma-On is expected to stay at its current intensity for the next 24 hours and make landfall on Shikoku Island Tuesday morning local time.

In preparation for the storm’s arrival, Tokyo Electric Power Co. is working to install a cover over a building at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to protect it from Ma-On’s winds and rain.

Due to the country’s strict construction codes, modern homes along the coastal areas of Japan are well engineered and the region has been equipped with storm surge barriers along the most vulnerable coastal regions, AIR reports.

Insurance penetration for wind insurance in Japan is roughly 50% for residential buildings and 95% for commercial buildings, respectively.

Source: AIR Worldwide