(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Japan's local authorities issued evacuation orders or advisories to more than 830,000 people on Thursday as torrential rain caused landslides and floods in the eastern and northeastern regions.
Among them, more than 70,000 people in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures located northeast of Tokyo were ordered to feel their homes, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The Meteorological Agency issued heavy rain emergency warnings in the two prefectures, with some parts of Tochigi Prefecture recording over 500 millimeters, of rain in 24 hours.
Ibaraki prefectural government requested the Self-Defense Forces to dispatch troops after a main river there flooded.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed relevant government agencies to work on disaster responses, saying his government puts top priority on ensuring the safety of people's lives.
Torrential rain was triggered by a low-pressure system derived from Tropical storm Etau, which crossed central Japan into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.
The weather agency urged people in the two prefectures to remain on the alert, warning that heavy rain and storm will continue through Friday.
In August last year, rain-triggered landslides engulfed residential areas in western Japan, killing more than 90.
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