Japanese weather officials say Severe Tropical Storm Haikui is expected to grow stronger as it approaches the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa over the weekend.

The Meteorological Agency says Haikui is moving westward over the waters near Japan's southernmost island of Okinotorishima.

The storm is expected to head northwest and get close to Okinawa from Thursday through Saturday.

Winds of up to 72 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 108 kilometers per hour are forecast in the prefecture's Daitojima region for Thursday. Violent winds are likely to hit Okinawa's main island and Miyakojima regions on Friday.

Haikui is expected to create rough seas in Okinawa and the Amami region in Kagoshima Prefecture from Thursday. Weather officials are urging people there to watch out for storm surges.

Meanwhile, violent typhoon Saola is moving west over the waters south of Taiwan. People on Okinawa's Sakishima Islands are advised to watch out for high waves.

Weather officials also warn that a tropical depression far south of Japan is expected to develop into a tropical storm. They say it may come close to the Ogasawara Islands, about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, this weekend.