TOKYO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Chan-hom moved westward and was downgraded to a tropical depression Wednesday after making landfall in the eastern Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki the night before, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
While Chan-hom was significantly weakened over the Sea of Japan, the weather agency warned of potential flooding in lowland areas and overflowing rivers on Wednesday in the Tohoku region in the northeast and the Kanto-Koshin region, including Tokyo, due to its lingering influence.
The year's 15th typhoon, traveling in an unusual direction from east to west, was the first typhoon to make landfall in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, since records began in 1951, the JMA said.
Seven people sustained minor injuries -- two in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as well as four in Ibaraki Prefecture and one in Tochigi Prefecture, both near Tokyo, Jiji Press reported Wednesday, citing the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Weather officials forecast up to 150 millimeters of rain in Tohoku, the central region of Tokai and the Kinki region in the west in the 24 hours through 6 a.m. local time Thursday, as well as up to 120 mm in Kanto-Koshin. ■