TOKYO, Aug 15 (NNN-NHK) – As torrential rain continued in wide areas of Japan yesterday, the highest level of alert was issued by local authorities to Hiroshima Prefecture and three prefectures in Kyushu, which all logged record rainfalls.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, landslides and flood-damage would possibly happen in a wide area, extending from western Japan to the northeastern part of the country, with a seasonal front expected to hover near the main Honshu Island.
The highest level of alert was issued in the three prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, and Nagasaki, in northern Kyushu, as well as, the western prefecture of Hiroshima, covering around 1.42 million people of some 650,000 households, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
Japan’s Disaster minister, Yasufumi Tanahashi, called on households in the affected areas “to take action to save lives without hesitation, if they feel even a slight threat.”
A weather agency official said at a press conference that, heavy rain warnings could also be issued in western and eastern Japan.
In the 24 hours as of this morning, rainfall in the central Japan region of Tokai is expected to reach as high as 300 millimetres, while up to 250 mm rainfall is forecast across wider areas, including Shikoku, Kinki, and the Kanto-Koshin regions. In addition, a forecast of up to 200 mm is made in the Chugoku region in western Japan.
At the same time, the city government of Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture, identified a woman, who died in a rain-triggered mudslide on Friday as Fumiyo Mori, 59, and two missing as her husband, Yasuhiro, 67, and their daughter, Yuko, 32.– NNN-NHK
