TOKYO -- Violent Typhoon Hagibis remains on course to hit Japan's main island and other parts of the Japanese archipelago on Oct. 12 and 13, the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned.

The agency says violent winds, rough seas and heavy rain are expected as the large typhoon, this year's 19th, slowly advances toward Japan.

As of 3 p.m. on Oct. 8, Typhoon Hagibis was about 550 kilometers north-northwest of Guam and heading northwest at a speed of about 25 kilometers per hour. It had a central atmospheric pressure of 915 hectopascals. The maximum sustained wind speed near its center stood at 55 meters per second (198 kph), with maximum wind gust speeds of 75 m/s (270 kph).

Wind speeds are expected to start increasing around the Ogasawara Islands about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo on Oct. 9, and seas are expected to become rough between Oct. 9 and 12. Depending on the course of the typhoon, it could lash a wide area from western to northern Japan with powerful winds, as well as high waves and downpours that could trigger weather warnings.

Japan is currently hosting the Rugby World Cup, and the typhoon's approach has raised the possibility that some matches on Oct. 12 and 13 may be affected.

(The Mainichi)