Forecasters have been tracking Typhoon Melor as it heads towards the Japanese coast [AFP]

Typhoon Melor, which has been moving slowly towards Japan, has been packing sustained winds of 160kmh and could strengthen yet further as it nears landfall.

The storm could hit by early Thursday forecasters have said, but is already causing high winds and heavy rains in parts of Japan.

According to the government meteorological agency, up to 40cm of rain is expected forecast over the next 24 hours in the Tokai region, which includes the industrial centre of Nagoya.

The agency has also warned of high winds, gales and flooding across central and southern Japan.

"Rain will be very heavy and winds will also be fairly strong on land. It is likely to make landfall with a violent force," the agency said.

In some parts of Tokyo, local authorities have made sandbags available to residents who wanted to protect their homes against flooding from rivers and canals.

People living in the expected path of the storm have been told to put shields on windows, fill their bathtubs in case of cuts in the water supply, and to gather daily necessities for a possible evacuation.

According to some projections, Melor could follow a course similar to Typhoon Vera in 1959 which tore through Honshu, causing widespread flooding and leaving more than 5,000 dead and tens of thousands homeless in one of Japan's worst natural disasters.

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