Strong typhoon hits Japan, flights canceled

(UPDATE) TOKYO — A typhoon described by weather forecasters as "very strong" charged toward Japan on Friday, with hundreds of flights and trains canceled and 1,700 homes without electricity.

Typhoon Ampil was located east of Hachijojima island, about 300 kilometers south of Tokyo and packing gusts of up to 216 kph as it headed north, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.