A car drives on a flooded road in the city of Saga at 7:03 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2021. (Mainichi/Yuji Nakayama)
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Torrential rain continued in wide areas of Japan on Saturday, with the weather agency issuing emergency warnings in Hiroshima Prefecture as well as three prefectures in Kyushu, all of which have registered record downpours.
Landslides and flood damage are feared in a wide area stretching from western Japan to the northeastern part of the country with a seasonal front expected to hover near the main island of Honshu for a week, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Local authorities issued the highest level of alert to about 1.28 million people, or 580,000 households, in the three prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki in northern Kyushu as well as the western prefecture of Hiroshima, calling on them to take steps to ensure their safety, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
Speaking at a press conference, a weather agency official said heavy rain warnings could also be issued in some areas in western and eastern Japan.
In the 24-hour period through Sunday morning, up to 300 millimeters of rainfall is forecast in the central Japan region of Tokai, and up to 250 mm across wider areas including Shikoku and Kinki in western Japan, the Kanto-Koshin region centered on Tokyo, and Kyushu.
Additionally, up to 200 mm is expected in the Chugoku region in western Japan.
Meanwhile, the city government of Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture, identified a person found in a rain-triggered mudslide Friday as Fumiyo Mori, 59.
The two others missing were identified as her husband Yasuhiro, 67, and their daughter Yuko, 32.
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