Heavy rainfall has caused flooding and landslides on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. Several people have been reported missing. Media reports showed houses, shops and vehicles submerged under about a metre of water, with swollen rivers sweeping away houses and vehicles. Train services and power supplies were also affected, left around 6,000 households without electricity [1, 2, 3].
On Monday morning, the Japanese weather service issued the highest warning level, affecting around 384,000 people, and described the situation as life-threatening [2, 3]. More than three million people were advised to seek safety. Even in places that are not normally prone to disasters, caution is advised [1, 2, 3].
The weather has been causing problems in Japan for several weeks now. First, they had the hottest June and July since records began, now they are battling heavy rainfall for a week [3].
[1] Japan: Mehrere Vermisste nach Überschwemmungen und Erdrutschen | DIE ZEIT (accessed on 13.08.2025)
[2] Japan: Regierung ruft Millionen Menschen zur Evakuierung auf – Vermisste nach Erdrutschen – DER SPIEGEL (accessed on 13.08.2025)
[3] Japan ruft nach Überschwemmungen Millionen Menschen zur Evakuierung auf | tagesschau.de (accessed on 13.08.2025)
(Image source: Pixabay)