Japan: Heavy Rains Force Nearly 800 000 to Flee

Close to 800 000 residents in Kagoshima, Japan, were ordered to evacuate their homes on Wednesday, 3 July, as heavy downpours have threatened to cause landslides and property damage.

Local news agencies have reported that three cities – Kagoshima, Kirishima and Aira – along the southern coast of Japan’s Kyushu island, have seen over 900 millilitres of rainfall since last week.

One elderly woman died after a mudslide recently hit her home in Kagoshima.

Governor Satoshi Mitazono has requested Japan’s self-defence forces to help with relief efforts in the Kagoshima prefecture.

Neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture has also instructed its citizens to evacuate and seek help.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has stated that more heavy rain was predicted for Thursday, 4 July, and could continue into next week.

Over 200 people were killed in western Japan during floods and landslides – considered by some as the worst in recorded history – triggered by torrential downpours in July last year.

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