The season began with the formation of Tropical Storm Yanyan on January 15. After its dissipation five days later, no tropical cyclones of at least tropical storm intensity developed over the next two months. This period of inactivity ended with the formation of Typhoon Kujira in mid-April; Kujira was one of the longest lived Pacific storms on record and was the first typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of at least 240 km/h (150 mph) in April since Typhoon Isa in 1997. Tropical activity was enhanced from May to June, and during this period the JMA monitored four tropical storms, while the PAGASA monitored a fifth storm off the eastern Philippines. Three of the four tropical storms monitored by the JMA approached or hit Japan, including Typhoon Soudelor, which brought heavy rainfall and wind across the Ryukyu Islands and the Korean Peninsula.