Typhoon Mawar, packing winds of up to 144 kilometers (90 miles) an hour near its center, was moving northeast toward Japan's main island of Honshu at a speed of 20 kilometers an hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

At 10:00 pm (1300 GTM) Mawar was located just off the tip of the Izu peninsula, 150 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the agency said.

The storm was expected to make landfall at around midnight, the agency said, warning of high waves and heavy rain.

"Since the typhoon's moving speed is slow, there are concerns that heavy rains and winds might occur in the areas where the typhoon stays," said a spokesman for the agency.

Rainfall of up to 35 centimeters was expected within 24 hours along the Pacific coast, the agency said.

A total of 79 flights, including three international flights, were cancelled by 1100 GMT because of the storm, affecting some 7,000 passengers, airlines said.

Last year a record 10 typhoons hit mainland Japan. The last of them, Tokage, was the deadliest typhoon in a quarter-century, killing 90 people.