Powerful typhoon makes landfall in Japan, killing four

TOKYO (CNN) -- A powerful typhoon made landfall in Japan on Wednesday, killing four people, lashing some areas with heavy rainfall and bringing more woe to a nation already trying to recover from a natural disaster.

The center of Typhoon Roke hit near Hamamatsu city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. 

It had sustained winds of up to 167 kph (103 mph) Wednesday morning. 

The powerful storm comes as Japan is still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck earlier this year and killed more than 15,000 people.

The typhoon may affect Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi plant, which went into a nuclear crisis after the March disaster.

TEPCO officials said they had outdoor construction canceled at the plant. There were also concerns about whether a strong downpour could wash radiation contaminated waters out of the plant.

At one point before the storm made landfall, about 1 million people were urged to evacuate from vulnerable areas as heavy rain pounded central and western Japan. 

Some downpours came up to 50 millimeters (2 inches) an hour, and some parts received more than 450 millimeters (17 inches) over a day, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Four people died in Nagoya, including a 66-year-old man who fell from a roof Tuesday while trying to fix a duct, authorities said. 

Three others were missing in Gifu prefecture, authorities said.

Several flights toward the Kyushu and Shikoku areas were canceled, transportation officials said. Some passenger trains were not running Wednesday in central and southern Japan. 

The storm had also disrupted operations at several Nissan plants, officials said.