TOKYO - Powerful Typhoon Mawar is forecast to approach the southwestern part of Japan's Okinawa Prefecture later this week, with the country's weather agency warning of high tides and violent winds in the Sakishima Islands from Monday.

The typhoon was moving northwest from the east of the Philippines at around 10 kilometers per hour as of 9 a.m. on Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

• Betty may trigger floods, landslides; wind signals up in several areas

It was packing winds of up to 216 kph and had an atmospheric pressure of 950 hectopascals at its center.

It is expected to approach the Sakishima Islands off the main island of Okinawa from Wednesday.

The weather agency said that tides on Monday could be as high as 5 meters on the main island of Okinawa and 7 meters near the Sakishima Islands.

It also forecast that gusts could reach 90 kph on the main island of Okinawa and 108 kph in the Sakishima Islands.

==Kyodo