Parts of central and northern Japan received heavy rain Friday that was linked to the death of one person in Iwate Prefecture whose car was apparently swept away by a flooding river.
The body of Yuki Ikeda, a 29-year-old construction worker from Miyako, was found in the city near his car. Four people were believed to have been inside but none except Ikeda were found, the local police said.
Parts of Iwate and neighboring Akita received over 200 mm of rain in the 24-hour period through Friday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
The Omono River overflowed in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, and local authorities issued evacuation orders to around 370 households. More than 10 houses, as well as a kindergarten and an elementary school, were flooded, the Akita Prefectural Government said.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) suspended bullet train services in the prefecture.
In the Hokuriku region, parts of Toyama saw a downpour that dropped about 100 mm of rain in just one hour on Friday morning, the agency said.
Heavy rain also struck parts of Tohoku other than Akita and Iwate, as well as Hokkaido.
The Meteorological Agency said the widespread rain hit as warm and wet air approached from the south toward a front stretching along the Japanese archipelago.
Torrential rain hit Tohoku early Friday, prompting the agency to issue warnings for mudslides and floods, and local authorities to issue evacuation advisories in Iwate, Akita, Aomori and Yamagata prefectures.
The agency predicted maximums of 150 mm of rain in Hokuriku, 100 mm in Tohoku and 60 mm in Hokkaido through Saturday morning.
It also warned the public to be on the lookout for thunder and tornadoes.