Typhoon Maemi, packing wind speeds of 180 kilometres (113 miles) per hour near the centre, was located some 140 kilometres west northwest of Kumejima Island in Okinawa prefecture as of 8:00 pm (1100 GMT).

The typhoon was moving north at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour, bringing extremely strong winds and rain to the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

"One elder female resident died and at least 93 people were injured in typhoon-related accidents," said an official of the Miyakojima island branch of the Okinawa prefectural government.

"One of them, also a female, was seriously injured," the official said. "We have not received further details such as the direct cause of the death or injuries, but many of them suffered cuts from shattered glass," he said.

In the island, some 50 houses as well as 13 storage lock-ups and garages were damaged, while the Miyakojima authorities received reports of damage to 67 vehicles and four boats.

"You can't see any people or cars on the street right now as it is too dangerous to be outside due to the strong winds and heavy rain," said Hirokazu Tokuyama, an official of Hirara City, the island's main district.

"When we went on patrol earlier in the day, we saw some cars turned over on the streets and roofs of shopping arcades ripped off," Tokuyama said, adding that at least five houses were damaged, forcing 20 people to evacuate.

"We continue urging the residents to be on the alert for the time being, as this is the most powerful typhoon to hit the region in 30 years," Tokuyama added.

At one point a wind speed of 266.76 kilometres per hour, the seventh highest ever recorded in Japan, was registered on the island, the agency said. Winds of such strength are considered powerful enough to blow down a house.

Television footage showed trees and concrete telegraph polls blown down, while torrential rain disrupted traffic due to extremely poor visibility.

In Hirara port, fishing and leisure boats were flung up onto harbour walls, while others capsized with breakers hitting the wharf and producing huge sea spray.

The agency rated Maemi as "violent," the highest level of its typhoon ranking, while the BBC Weather Centre characterised it as a super-typhoon.

Power was cut to most of the island's 22,000 houses, while flights and ferry services were cancelled.

Maemi, meaning cicada is on course, to pummel the Korean Peninsula or western parts of Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu on Saturday, the agency said.

TERRA.WIRE