TOKYO - Hundreds of thousands of people across a wide swathe of western and central Japan were evacuated from their homes on Friday as torrential rains pounded the nation, flooding rivers, setting off landslides and leaving at least two people dead. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the rainfall was" historic" and warned more rain was set to batter already saturated parts of the nation through Sunday. By Friday morning, one part of the main island of Honshu had been hit with twice the total amount of rain for a normal July. At least two people were killed, one when he was sucked down a drainage pipe and another an elderly woman toppled by a gust of wind. Several more people were missing, including one whose car was swept away as he delivered milk in the early morning hours, NHK national television said. A middle school boy was missing after he was swept away by flood waters in a ditch, NHK added. "The situation is extremely dangerous," wrote a Twitter user in Kochi, a city on the smallest main island of Shikoku, where the rain has been especially intense. Several dozen people were injured, four seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. A number of people were buried in a landslide on Friday morning and rescuers were working to dig them out. Around 168,000 people were ordered from their homes due to the danger of further landslides and flooding, and 1.2 million more were advised to leave as of Friday morning, the Agency added. This included parts of the tourist city and ancient capital of Kyoto, where authorities had closed off some bridges and waterside promenades as rivers swelled. [[nid:419548]] Japan's Self Defence Forces dispatched 180 personnel and 50 vehicles to Kyoto as trains across western and central Japan were stopped, including part of one Shinkansen bullet train line. The torrential rain appeared to have been touched off by warm, humid air flowing up from the Pacific Ocean and intensifying the activity of the seasonal rain front. Remnants of a now-dissipated typhoon that brushed Japan earlier this week also contributed, officials said. One part of the smallest main island of Shikoku was hit by 98 mm (4 inches) of rain in the hour to 8:00 a.m. on Friday, with a total of 908 mm (36 inches) in the 48 hours previously. Some parts of Japan were set to see up to 400 mm of rain in the coming 24 hours, with the rain set to continue until Sunday. Japan's weather woes are far from over. Typhoon Maria, forming deep in the Pacific, is set to strengthen, possibly into an intense Category 4 storm, and may directly target the southwestern islands of Okinawa early next week.<doc-sep>A kimono-clad woman using a smartphone takes photos of swollen Kamo River, caused by a heavy rain, from Shijo Bridge in Kyoto, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 5, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Thursday ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents from the outskirts of its ancient capital of Kyoto after “historic” rains battered its western region, killing a man, with yet more rain forecast. About 160,000 people were advised to evacuate across the region as weather officials warned that rain levels they described as “historic” could continue until Sunday. “Severe caution is needed,” an official of Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) told a news conference, warning of the potential for landslides and high winds. A 59-year-old construction worker died in the western prefecture of Hyogo after being sucked into a drainage pipe, and two more were injured as they rushed to his rescue, NHK national television said. Evacuation orders went out in some outlying parts of Kyoto, with the Kyodo news agency saying about 16,000 people were affected. Television broadcast images of the swollen waters of the Kamo River in the city center. The heavy rains were brought by a rush of humid air from the south and the remnants of a typhoon this week. By Thursday afternoon, rainfall of about 457 mm (18 inches) had been recorded in some parts of the smallest main island of Shikoku over the last two days, with up to 400 mm (16 inches) more predicted in some areas in the next 24 hours. Typhoon Prapiroon churned up the Sea of Japan this week before weakening into a tropical depression. Another storm, Typhoon Maria, has formed in the Pacific and is set to strengthen, possibly targeting the southwestern islands of Okinawa early next week.<doc-sep>Two sisters from an elementary school with just six pupils on the small island of Nuwa in Ehime prefecture also died, according to Reuters. The younger, a first-grader, was a star and the hope of the depopulated island, the principal told NHK.<doc-sep>TOKYO -- Torrents of rainfall and flooding battered a widespread area in southwestern Japan on Saturday, with local media casualty reports climbing quickly. Public broadcaster NHK said 38 people were dead, four were injured seriously and 47 were missing. Television footage showed a residential area in Okayama prefecture seeped in brown water spreading like a huge lake. Some people fled to rooftops and balconies and waved furiously at hovering rescue helicopters. Okayama prefecture said a man caught in a landslide died, and six others were missing. Evacuation orders had been issued to more than 360,000 people, the prefecture said in a statement. Throughout the affected areas, parked cars sat in pools of water. NHK TV said water had reached as high as 16 feet in the worst-hit areas. Residents look at a flooded road and houses in Kurashiki, Okayama, prefecture on July 7, 2018. STR/AFP/Getty Images "This is a record high rainfall which we never experienced," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday morning, The New York Times reports. Abe reportedly urged his cabinet to "take every measure to prevent the disaster from worsening." Kyodo news service, which put the death tally at 34 people, said one death was in a landslide in Hiroshima, which had set off a fire, while the body of a child was found in another area. NHK said a woman died in her home in Hiroshima when it got buried in a mudslide. Assessing overall casualties was a challenge because of the widespread damage. NHK repeatedly urged those awaiting rescue to not lose hope. In Ehime prefecture, a woman was found dead on the second floor of a home hit by a landslide, Kyodo said. Also in Ehime, two elementary-school girls and their mother who got sucked into a mudslide were rescued but their hearts weren't beating, it said. Residents look at a flooded road in Hiroshima on July 7, 2018. Str/AFP/Getty Kyoto prefecture said it was working to control flooding at several dams and identified one fatality as a 52-year-old woman. Military water trucks were rushing to areas where water systems were no longer working, Okayama prefecture said. Troops in camouflage outfits helped people and pets reach dry land on small military boats. Evacuation orders or advisories were sent for 4.72 million people, and 48,000 members of the Self-Defense Forces, police and firefighters were mobilized for search missions, according to Kyodo.<doc-sep>
TOKYO (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people across a wide swathe of western and central Japan were evacuated from their homes on Friday as torrential rain flooded rivers and set off landslides, killing at least four people. Slideshow ( 3 images ) The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its strongest possible warning about the “historic” rainfall and said more was set to batter already saturated areas through Sunday, raising the danger of more landslides and major damage. One part of the main island of Honshu had been hit with twice the total amount of rain for a normal July by Friday morning, and the rain was relentless through the day. At least four people were killed, one when he was sucked into a drainage pipe and another, an elderly woman, died after being blown over by powerful wind. Several people were missing, including a man whose car was swept away as he delivered milk and a boy who was swept into a ditch, NHK national television said. “The situation is extremely dangerous,” wrote a Twitter user in Kochi, a city on the smallest main island of Shikoku, where the rain was especially intense. Several dozen people were injured, four seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Several people were buried in a landslide and rescuers rushed to dig them out. About 210,000 people were ordered from their homes due to the danger of further landslides and flooding, nearly half of them in a wide area surrounding Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, and nearly 2 million more were advised to leave, as of Friday afternoon, the Agency added. Trains across western and central Japan were halted, including several sections of the Shinkansen bullet train. The danger was particularly high in a part of the southwesternmost main island of Kyushu, where dozens of people were killed by torrential rain and floods a year ago. The rain appeared to have been touched off by warm, humid air flowing up from the Pacific Ocean and intensifying the activity of a seasonal rain front. Remnants of a now-dissipated typhoon that brushed Japan this week also contributed, officials said. Japan’s weather woes are far from over. Typhoon Maria, forming deep in the Pacific, is set to strengthen, possibly into an intense Category 4 storm, and may directly target the southwestern islands of Okinawa early next week.