Typhoon Mindulle drenches Tokyo, halts trains and flights

TOKYO (Reuters) - Heavy rain drenched the Japanese capital on Monday as Typhoon Mindulle swept in, bringing floods that suspended train services and high winds that forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. The category one typhoon, the weakest on a scale for storms, dumped more than 10 cm (4 inches) of rain an hour in parts of Tokyo and the surrounding region. Broadcaster NHK reported 10 injuries caused by the storm. Travellers were stranded at Tokyo's Haneda airport with about 300 domestic flights canceled by early afternoon. The capital's Naritia airport, its international hub, temporarily closed its two runways as wind speeds increased. Train services throughout the Tokyo region and some express bullet trains on routes north of the city were pared back or halted. Tokyo's main Yamanote circle train line closed temporarily after a tree fell on the tracks. Mindulle, which is Korean for a type of dandelion, is forecast to travel along Japan northeast seaboard after passing over Tokyo, bringing wind and heavy rain to the north of the country. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Teppei Kasai; Editing by Robert Birsel)