Japan hit by record-breaking rain

Many areas in Japan are on high alert as record-breaking heavy rains and flooding continued for the second day on Thursday.

The Meteorological Agency has issued heavy rain emergency warnings in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures, northeast of capital Tokyo, NHK news agency reported.

In parts of Tochigi, over 500 mm of rain has fallen since Wednesday. That's about double the amount that typically falls in the region for all of September. Several places in the prefecture have broken records for rainfall, the agency said.

Parts of Ibaraki have also seen record-setting rain of nearly 300 mm in over 48 hours.

In Fukushima prefecture, precipitation topped 300 mm, the heaviest rainfall in 50 years.

Flooding and landslides have been reported in many places and evacuation orders have been issued for many communities.

Weather officials are advising people in the affected areas to remain on the alert. They warn that heavy rain and stormy weather will continue until Friday.

The cause is a low-pressure system derived from tropical storm Etau, which brought heavy rain over wide areas of Japan.