Bridges collapsed and rivers burst their banks as torrential rain lashed northern Japan on Thursday and 200,000 residents were ordered to evacuate as authorities warned of dangerous flooding.
Television footage showed a muddy mass of broken trees being swept into a mountainous residential area by the downpours, breaking records in some areas.
Two people have been reported missing, top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
The authorities warn of an increased risk of landslides and floods.
Public broadcaster NHK said non-mandatory evacuation notices have been issued to 200,000 residents in five regions: Niigata, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ishikawa and Fukui.
Other television footage showed houses being inundated by an overflowing river and another muddy waterway reaching the level of a bridge.
Some shinkansen bullet trains have been suspended in the affected areas.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the risk of heavy rainfall in Japan and elsewhere because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.
Heavy rain in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the central resort town of Atami, killing 27 people.
And in 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people during the country’s annual rainy season in western Japan.
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