 A disturbance appeared in the monsoon trough south of Ponape on August 15 . Modest development ensued as it moved west @-@ northwest , and the system was classified as a tropical depression on the morning of August 19 , and a tropical storm that night . Turning to the northwest , Ellis became a typhoon on the morning of August 21 , and ultimately a major typhoon on August 22 . A mid @-@ level trough moving into the Yellow Sea continued Ellis ' recurvature . Moving east of Okinawa on August 25 , the cyclone headed northward towards Japan . Moving by Kyūshū , Shikoku , and Honshū , the cyclone degenerated into a tropical storm . Heavy rains up to 711 millimetres ( 28 @.@ 0 in ) inundated southwest Japan , bringing life to a standstill for the region . Five perished across Japan . Moving into the Sea of Japan on August 27 , Ellis evolved into an extratropical cyclone which turned back to the northwest , ending up about 220 kilometres ( 140 mi ) west of Vladivostok . 
