'Unprecedented' rain pounds southwest Japan, leaves 1 dead

In Saga Prefecture in the northern Kyushu region, JR Saga Station was flooded and a number of vehicles were seen submerged, while landslides were confirmed in the city of Takeo and rivers in Ogi and Imari overflowed, flooding nearby farm fields.

A man was confirmed dead after being found in a minicar that had been swept away by floodwaters on a road in Takeo, while another man was feared dead after escaping from his submerged light vehicle during flooding in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, according to police.

Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures issued evacuation instructions to a total of around 240,000 residents after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its maximum level-5 warning for floods and landslides in the region.

More than 120 millimeters of rain was recorded in the cities of Saga and Taku in a one-hour period, according to the agency.

For the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Thursday, the agency forecast up to 200 mm of rain in the northern Kyushu region and 180 mm in the Kanto-Koshin area, which includes Tokyo, and the Tokai region.