Weather officials in Japan warn that risks of disasters caused by heavy rain could suddenly rise at night, urging people in Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture to spend Friday night at safe places.

At a joint news conference with the land ministry on Friday, Meteorological Agency official Tachihara Shuichi said heavy rain has caused the ground to soften and river levels to rise from western Japan to Tohoku.

He warned that torrential rain is forecast for wide areas from western to northern Japan until Saturday, and bands of clouds that bring torrential rain may develop over Kyushu and Yamaguchi.

Tachihara urged people in these regions to access the agency's disaster information service named Kikikuru which is available on the web and spend the night at evacuation centers or other safe locations.

He said if it is deemed too dangerous to go out, people should stay on upper floors of sturdy buildings.

A stationary seasonal rain front is expected to bring heavy rain from Sunday and onward.

Land ministry official Omatsu Satoshi said when rain continues for days, river levels keep rising after rainfall becomes weaker and even light rain could raise flood risks.

He urged people to look at hazard maps to check on what risks their communities have.

The ministry announced that 13 dams in Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto, Ishikawa and Nagano prefectures started releasing water to prepare for downpours.

The ministry warns that water levels could rise downstream even if rain is not falling.
It urges people along the rivers to keep updated with the latest information.