Typhoon Neoguri has been pummelling the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa leaving at least one man dead and more than a dozen injured.

Half a million residents were urged to evacuate their homes ahead of torrential rain and high winds. Airports were shut with hundreds of flights cancelled. The typhoon also caused waves up to 14 metres high.

More than 25,000 US troops are based on the islands and staff were all banned from going outside.

The storm is set to intensify as it passes through the main island on Tuesday evening. It’s then expected to make landfall in Kyushu in the east before coming close to Tokyo on Friday.

Neoguri was downgraded from its original status as a super typhoon but is still strong with winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour.

It’s feared the worst damage will be from landslides and flooding.