A bullet train platform at JR Hiroshima Station in the city's Minami Ward is seen congested with holidaymakers on Aug. 10, 2019. (Mainichi/Akari Terouchi)

OSAKA -- Bullet train services on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line will be canceled between Shin-Osaka and Kokura stations on Aug. 15 as a large typhoon is likely to hit western Japan, West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) said on Aug. 14.

The measure, which will be taken to prevent giant Typhoon Krosa from wreaking havoc on bullet train operations, will severely affect holidaymakers who hope to return home as the "Bon" summer holiday period nears an end. Typhoon Krosa, this year's 10th, is feared to hit western Japan from Aug. 14 to 15, the Japan Meteorological Agency warns.

According to JR West, all bullet trains will be canceled between Shin-Osaka Station in the western Japan city of Osaka and Kokura Station in the southwestern Japan city of Kitakyushu on Aug. 15. JR West intends to operate about one train per hour between Kokura and Hakata stations, both in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central), which operates the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, will cancel through services on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line on Aug. 15. JR Central is also planning to reduce the number of train services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line depending on how the typhoon will affect surrounding areas.

JR West similarly canceled services between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima on Sept. 4 and 30, 2018.

(Japanese original by Masaki Takahashi, City News Department)