As Hurricane Matthew dominates the weather news in the Western Hemisphere, Typhoon Chaba (international name: Igme) is currently barreling towards the island of Okinawa in Japan.

Typhoon Chaba has recently been upgraded to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, with winds of up to 270 kph.

The strength of the typhoon is expected to rise within the next 12 hours with possible sustained winds of 280 kph and with gusts of up to 335 kph.

It is forecasted that around 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, the eye of the storm will be in the Korean Strait, the area of water between the mainland of Japan and South Korea.

It will be packed with destructive winds and torrential rains that will have a powerful impact on the western part of Kyushu all throughout the day.

Typhoon Chaba, is the fourth tropical system to hit the region in no more than three weeks with the previous three bringing about extensive flooding.

The upcoming typhoon will bring heavy rainfall to an already drenched earth, which can lead to even worst life threatening flash floods and landslides across the region.

This is considered the strongest typhoon ever recorded in this part of the world.

The previous typhoon, with the about same equivalence, to hit the region was recorded in 1959. Typhoon Vera was responsible for extensive damage across Japan leaving at least 4,000 deaths.

Only the tail end of Typhoon Chaba is being anticipated to touch Japan and is expected to reach its peak during the early hours of Wednesday.

"Warm sea surface temperatures and low vertical wind shear are two factors that helped Chaba become a Super Typhoon," said one spoke person for NASA.