A car that was washed away in Yamaguchi Prefeture on Saturday
© KYODOA car that was washed away in Yamaguchi Prefeture on Saturday
Heavy rain pounded parts of western Honshu and the Kyushu region on Saturday, with record-breaking hourly precipitation reported in several locations, causing one fatality and leaving two others missing, local authorities and the weather agency said.

The Meteorological Agency on Sunday continued to warn of the danger of landslides and flooding in low-lying areas, as well as the rising and overflowing of rivers in Kyushu, especially its southern areas, due to possible heavy rainfall through Monday.

The agency said a weather front that is expected to stay near Kyushu over Monday will see warm and moist air flowing toward it, making the atmospheric conditions very unstable.


Officials from the agency also urged people to move inside or take other safety precautions if there are signs that cumulonimbus clouds are developing and approaching their area. Hail might also fall, so precautions are required to manage crops and agricultural facilities.

Northern Kyushu and southern Kyushu will possibly see as much as 150 millimeters of rainfall until Monday noon, according to the 24-hour forecast.

The record-breaking levels of rainfall up until Saturday caused more than 270 houses to experience flooding and other damage, mainly in Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

As of 3 p.m. Saturday, the city of Yamaguchi saw a record-breaking 332.5 mm of rainfall in 48 hours while the town of Yunomae, Kumamoto Prefecture, recorded 469 mm. Yufu in Oita Prefecture logged a record 24-hour rainfall for July, registering 385 mm as of 9 a.m. Saturday, the agency said.

In Yamaguchi Prefecture, a man found inside a washed-away car was confirmed dead, while a mudslide in Oita Prefecture swept away a house, with rescuers still trying to contact the 70-year-old male occupant, local authorities said.

In Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, seven vehicles were found submerged due to the heavy rain, and one of the drivers was missing, according to local police.

Services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations on the Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train line were temporarily suspended on Saturday, according to West Japan Railway Co.

Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere, because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

Strong rains in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the central resort town of Atami that killed 27 people.

And in 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in western Japan during the country's annual rainy season.