Severe tropical storm Ampil is expected to come closest to Tokyo's remote Ogasawara island chain in the late afternoon through nighttime on Wednesday.

Weather officials say the storm is likely to intensify and could move on to eastern Japan, including the Greater Tokyo region, and northern Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says Ampil is slowly moving northeast over the sea south of Japan.

It has a central atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour near its center. Gusts could instantaneously reach up to 162 kilometers per hour.

The Ogasawara Islands are likely to see heavy thunder showers. Maximum rainfall could reach up to 120 millimeters in the 24 hours through Thursday morning.

Weather officials are warning of high waves and urging people to take full precautions against landslides.

Ampil is set to approach the Izu Islands on Thursday.
It is expected to gather strength and may approach eastern and northern Japan from Friday through Saturday. The Kanto-Koshin region, which includes Tokyo, could be affected.

The Izu Islands are expected to see maximum sustained winds of 144 kilometers per hour, and gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour. Wave heights may reach 9 meters.

Weather officials warn that the winds could be strong enough to topple houses.
They also say eastern Japan and other regions could experience extremely stormy conditions depending on the path of the storm.

People are advised to prepare early, while keeping updated with the latest information.