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TOKYO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A strong typhoon made landfall on Monday afternoon in western Japan, lashing across the southwest of the Japanese archipelago and leaving havoc in its wake.

According to the weather agency here, Typhoon Noru made landfall around 3:30 p.m. local time (0630 GMT) at northern Wakayama Prefecture, bringing heavy downpours and strong winds to a wide swathe of the prefecture and surrounding areas.

Wakayama is located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Japan's Honshu island.

Noru, the fifth typhoon of the season, has already claimed the lives of two people in southwestern Japan and left at least 36 others injured by 8 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), according to local media.

As of 9 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), the typhoon was 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Ogaki, Gifu prefecture, and was moving northeast at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The typhoon had winds at a speed of 30 meters per second near its center, with gusts reaching nearly 40 meters per second.

The JMA has warned of rivers breaching their banks and causing flooding as well as landslides. It also said that citizens residing along the route of the typhoon should be vigilant for stormy winds and high waves.

Local media said that as of 8 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), more than 120,000 people in nine prefectures in western Japan have been ordered or advised to evacuate as a result of the typhoon.

Noru has caused major disruption to transportation networks, with West Japan Railway Co. canceling some of its operations between Shikoku and the Honshu main island.

More than 70 Shinkansen bullet train services have also been halted, and a total of 450 flights have been canceled on Monday, said local reports, quoting air carriers.

The weather agency said that heavy rain are expected to batter the Kinki region in south Honshu and the Tokai region that runs along the edge of the Pacific Ocean through Tuesday morning, and Hokuriku and Kanto-Koshin regions by Tuesday night.

The typhoon already pummeled the island of Kyushu with heavy rain and powerful winds on Sunday.

The region, the southwesternmost of Japan's main islands, is still reeling in the wake of torrential rains battering the area just one month ago.