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Heavy rain across eastern and western Japan

Jul 01, 2021 (NHK) - A seasonal rain front is bringing downpours to eastern and western Japan. Information on heavy rain inundation and landslides has been issued for Tokyo.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says an inflow of warm, damp air toward the front has made rain clouds develop, mainly along the Pacific coast.

Niijima in Tokyo's Izu island chain is believed to have had 90 millimeters of rain between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Thursday.

Landslide warnings have been issued for Kagoshima and Shizuoka prefectures and the Izu Islands.

The agency says a band of rain clouds has developed over Tokyo. The weather information issued for Tokyo supplements an alert level of four or above on a scale of one to five.

Heavy rain is forecast for the Pacific coast of southwestern, central and eastern Japan thorough Friday, with localized hourly precipitation of more than 50 millimeters accompanied by thunder and lightning.

The Tokai region can expect up to 250 millimeters of rainfall through Friday morning, while southern Kyushu, the Amami region and the Kanto-Koshin region can expect up to 150 millimeters.

Through Saturday morning, 100 to 200 millimeters of rain is forecast for the Tokai region, 100 to 150 millimeters for southern Kyushu and the Amami region, and 50 to 100 millimeters for the Kanto-Koshin region.

The front will remain stationary, likely causing prolonged downpours.

The agency is urging caution for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, lightning strikes and tornadoes.

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