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Typhoon Mekkhala, the strongest June typhoon in 22 years, bears down on Japan as Higos threatens to merge

Okinawa faces 7-metre waves and 150mm of rain as two tropical systems track northeast; forecasters warn of a combined system hitting Honshu on June 27

Weather·Infrastructure· active How Life Changes·What Broke ·4 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jun 26, 2026

Summary

Typhoon Mekkhala, classified as Typhoon No. 7 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, tracked northeast toward Okinawa on June 25-26 with maximum sustained winds that made it the strongest June typhoon to threaten Japanese waters since 2004. Wave heights forecast at 7 metres off Okinawa Honto forced the closure of Naha Airport and ferry cancellations across the Ryukyu chain. A second system, Tropical Depression Higos, was simultaneously tracking from the Philippine Sea and forecast to merge with Mekkhala south of Honshu on June 26-27, complicating evacuation and damage projections. Japan's JMA and international meteorological agencies described the merger track as highly uncertain, warning residents from Kyushu to the Kanto plain to prepare for landslides, river flooding, and extended heavy rain through June 28.

The split

Japanese domestic media, following JMA, led on the merger-track uncertainty and the compound landslide risk, noting Mekkhala's track follows an El Nino-influenced anomalously warm western Pacific this season. US military advisories from Kadena Air Base focused on wind speeds and operational impact on the US Pacific presence in Okinawa. Chinese state media (Xinhua) reported the storm with minimal coverage, framing it as a natural event with no geopolitical dimension, while regional English-language outlets such as Stars and Stripes elevated the base-operations angle.

By the numbers

  • 7 metres, wave height forecast off Okinawa Honto
  • 150 mm, 24-hour rainfall forecast for Okinawa at peak passage
  • 22 years, since a stronger June typhoon last affected Japanese waters
  • 2 systems, Mekkhala and Higos, forecast to merge south of Honshu June 26-27
  • ~380,000, population of Okinawa Prefecture in the primary impact zone

Why it matters

Japan's Ryukyu island chain hosts the highest concentration of US forward-deployed military assets in the Western Pacific. Typhoons that disrupt Okinawa operations affect regional deterrence posture against PRC maritime activity and North Korea. Beyond security, a merged system tracking northeast threatens the Tokai and Kanto industrial belts: semiconductor fabs, automotive plants, and the port of Yokohama, a key container gateway, all face disruption risk if the joint track holds.

What to watch

  • Whether Higos merges with Mekkhala before or after the latter weakens over Japan's shelf waters
  • Landslide warnings in western Honshu, where soil saturation from earlier June rains is elevated
  • Port Yokohama and Kobe congestion data, which would transmit through Asia-Europe container rates
  • Whether Naha Airport reopens before June 28, the window US Seventh Fleet logistics teams have cited