Japan was on alert for violent winds and torrential rain on Friday as two typhoons loomed nearby.

A very strong typhoon was near Taiwan, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of the southern Japanese island of Ishigaki as of 2:00 pm (0500 GMT), packing winds of 180 kilometres (110 miles) per hour near its centre, the weather agency said.

Television footage aired by public broadcaster NHK showed trees bowing as heavy rain and strong winds battered Ishigaki, a part of the Okinawa chain of islands.

Jelawat was moving north-northeast and on course to hit the main part of Okinawa Saturday before reaching Japan's southern main island of Kyushu Sunday, the broadcaster said.

It was forecast to be off the coast of central Japan by early Monday.

A smaller typhoon, Ewiniar, was churning in the Pacific towards eastern Japan. It was forecast to come close to eastern Japan on Saturday before veering off over the Pacific.