2 Killed And 35 Others Injured In Heavy Rain In Japan

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JAKARTA - Two people were killed and 35 injured as heavy rains hit large areas of Japan, according to local authorities on Saturday, causing landslides and rivers to overflow in many areas in the eastern part of the country.

Thunderstorms were seen non-stop from Friday to Saturday morning in the western and central regions, with 23 locations in eight prefectures finding rainfall touching a 24-hour record of rain, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Reporting from Antara, Sunday, bad weather conditions were caused by warm and humid air blowing from Topan Mawar and cold air waves near Japan's main island Hoshu.

The Typhoon was then lowered to extra-tropical cyclones on Saturday at 3pm after moving to Izu Island, south of Tokyo, according to the agency.

The overflowing river forced several local governments such as Toyoashi in Aichi Prefecture, issuing the highest flood warning to residents, calling on them to get to a safer place immediately.

In Toyoashi, a 65-year-old man was declared dead on Saturday after being found in a car in a flooded field Friday night, police said, adding that the car almost completely sank.

A man who was fishing in Moka, Tochigi Prefecture, was also killed after being swept into an irrigation tunnel.

At least five people were missing, 232 houses were partially or completely damaged, authorities said. As many as two million residents of the prefectures of Gizu, Shizuoka, Aichi and Mie are advised to temporarily evacuate.

In parts of Shizuoka Prefecture, the city of Hamamatsu, the height of rainfall reaches 497.5 millimeters, while 419 mm of rainfall is experienced by Toyoashi in 24 hours until Saturday morning, according to the agency's statement.

On Saturday morning, the Kanto area, centered in Tokyo, 47.5 mm of rainfall was observed in an hour in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, and 45 mm at Neriima Ward, Tokyo.

Central Japan Railway Co is again operating a high-speed train service between Tokyo and Osaka after previously canceling due to rain.

The Tokaido Shinkansen line service was canceled on the Tokyo and Nagoya routes in Aichi Prefecture. The train between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka stations runs every hour until the afternoon.

The company operated trains for displaced passengers on Friday at Tokyo station, Nagoya and Shin-Osaka. A total of 5,300 people spent the night in cars, the agency said.

The passengers who were forced to spend the night at the station or train looked exhausted by it.

"About 80 percent of the seats are occupied," said Kengo Kaku (46 years) from Okayama Prefecture after spending the night on the high-speed train at the Tokyo station. "I was able to lay down on my chair for just a few. I couldn't sleep well."

Nagoya Station remains packed with displaced passengers, even on Saturday night, as they check the operational status of the train through the electronic screen.