There have been seven deaths in six prefectures, stretching from Nagasaki in the south to Iwate in the north, according to official sources. Authorities say five people are missing but they expect that number to rise when local governments re-open on September 22.

After making landfall on Wednesday, Roke lashed some areas with heavy rainfall and brought 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) on Wednesday morning.

The powerful storm comes as Japan is still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck in March, killing more than 15,000 people.

The typhoon may affect Tokyo Electric Power Co.'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.

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.