Wutip, the first typhoon of the year in China’s coastal waters, is forecast to make landfall between Lingshui and Ledong on south China's Hainan Island between early morning and noon on Friday, the provincial meteorological bureau warned, with preparations being made across the region.
Authorities have evacuated Sanya's popular surfing spots and secured beachfront facilities, with crews trimming trees to prevent dangers from wind-blown debris.
All cargo operations at Sanya's ports have been suspended, marine construction projects have been halted and 1,205 workers have been brought back to shore from 11 offshore oil and gas platforms as a precaution.
Powerful winds on the tropical island have already downed a tree, which crashed onto a parked car in downtown Sanya on Thursday afternoon.
Local firefighters responded immediately after receiving emergency calls, successfully freeing the car and clearing debris
With Typhoon Wutip intensifying, northern coastal regions of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been placed on high alert. Beihai City activated a Level-4 emergency response for flood and typhoon prevention on Wednesday evening.
Passenger ferry services between Beihai and Weizhou Island were suspended at 11:50 on Thursday, with authorities coordinating the evacuation of remaining tourists.
"We began notifying passengers on June 11 [about the suspension]. All departures for June 12 afternoon to 14 were canceled as we implement typhoon precautions," said Li Qin, operations director of Beihai Xinyi Cruise Co., Ltd.
Guangxi maritime authorities said that by Thursday noon, all recreational vessels including yachts and sightseeing boats have returned to port. Coastal authorities have halted operations at 92 offshore projects and evacuated nearly 1,000 workers from 121 unpowered barges.
Typhoon Wutip forecast to hit Hainan on Friday: authorities
The descendants of Japanese combatants in China during World War II, who last year knelt in apology to the Chinese people on behalf of their fathers in northeast China's Jilin Province, stressed the crucial need for Japanese people to recognize the atrocities committed by their ancestors and offer sincere apologies as an obligation.
On July 7, 1937, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, marking the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China and China's nationwide resistance against the Japanese invaders, initiating a whole-of-nation war effort that opened the main Eastern battlefield in the global war against fascism.
In September 2024, Kuroi Akio, along with five other descendants of Japanese soldiers who had invaded China, came to Gongzhuling City in Jilin Province with historical documents to apologize to the Chinese people on behalf of their fathers.
Kuroi's father, Kuroi Keijirou, participated in two separate campaigns in northeast China in 1932 and 1941. These campaigns included violent acts against civilians, something Kuroi is determined to address and atone for.
"As far as I can remember, my father was always a quiet man who rarely spoke. I hardly ever saw him smile -- he always wore a gloomy expression. I never had any experience of him patting my head or giving me a hug; no affectionate father-son interaction ever passed between us," Kuroi said.
Kuroi recalled watching a video featuring an American veteran of the Vietnam war. The veteran disclosed that he continued to dream about the killing of Vietnamese civilians and woke up screaming in the dead of night.
Kuroi observed that the veteran's harrowing experiences bore a striking resemblance to his father's sorrowful countenance. This led him to believe that his father suffered from the same kind of war trauma.
"Some people have shared with me their experiences of fathers who, due to war trauma, have subjected their families to domestic violence, such as beating or kicking their mothers, or struggling with alcohol abuse. As a matter of fact, in Japan, soldiers who suffered psychological breakdowns due to war were deliberately concealed by the authorities during wartime. I believe that my father also understood that it was the wrong war. I think it is crucial to convey the sentiment of 'I am truly sorry to the Chinese people' to express this feeling," Kuroi said.
During last year's apology ceremony at Gongzhuling Zhanqian Primary School, under the Chinese national flag, Kuroi removed his shoes and socks and knelt down to kowtow before the students.
"For Japanese people, kneeling in apology is considered the most solemn way," Kuroi said.
"At Gongzhuling Zhanqian Primary School, it is the actual ground where many murdered Chinese people are buried, and where the blood of numerous Chinese people has flowed. As a Japanese, I believe that I cannot wear shoes while standing on this land," he said.
"China is our neighboring country, with which we should live in harmony. We must openly confront the painful facts of the atrocities and aggression committed in the past and sincerely apologize from the bottom of our hearts. I believe this is something that must be done," said Kurokawa Yasuko, another descendant of a WWII Japanese soldier.
Japanese WWII descendants urge recognition, apologies for wartime atrocities against Chinese people
