The rainy season appears to have begun in eastern and central Japan, two days later than usual, the Meteorological Agency said Friday.
It is also four days later than last year, the agency said, but is the first to start on Honshu island.
According to the agency, the Kanto and Koshin regions in eastern and central Japan had rain Friday brought by a rain front and a typhoon approaching the southern Izu Islands. Rain is expected over the next week.
In northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture, the season started five days later than usual and 12 days later than last year, according to the Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory, the agency's Kyushu branch.
A rain system that stretches from the Yellow Sea brought rain and clouds to the northern part of Kyushu on Friday, the observatory said, adding the area is expected to see such weather over the next week.
The rainy season is believed to have started in Okinawa around May 2, and in the Amami region around May 9.