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Typhoon Lan barrels toward Japan, delays election count

By Daniel Uria
Typhoon Lan continued to make its way toward Japan, bringing heavy winds and rains that delayed ballot counting for the country's snap general election in some regions/
 Photo by NOAA/EPA
Typhoon Lan continued to make its way toward Japan, bringing heavy winds and rains that delayed ballot counting for the country's snap general election in some regions/ Photo by NOAA/EPA

Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Typhoon Lan continued to make its way toward Japan on Sunday, causing heavy wind and rain that delayed election results in some regions.

The Category 2 storm was located 224 miles south of Osaka, as it moved along Japan's Pacific coast with sustained winds of up to 100 mph.

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The powerful typhoon is expected to weaken as it makes it way inland before reaching landfall and making its way toward Tokyo on Monday morning.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered local authorities to prepare for evacuation, as warnings of landslides and flooding were issued in preparation for the storm.

Heavy winds and rain brought on by the Typhoon Lan in western and central Japan halted ferry service to remote islands and prevented ballots for the nation's snap general election from being delivered for counting.

Regional election boards said ballot counting would likely be delayed until at least Monday as a result of the storm.

Abe's coalition appeared to be on track to win a supermajority in the House of Representatives, as exit polls indicate his Liberal Democratic Party won between 255 and 300 seats in the 465-seat House of Representatives.

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The typhoon was expected to lessen voter turnout, but reports following the closure of the polls indicated turnout could exceed the previous vote by 1 percentage point.

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