Heavy rain drenches Kyushu, weather agency warns of landslides, flooding

TOKYO - Heavy rain hit northern Kyushu on Thursday as a seasonal rain front and low-pressure system affected Japan's southwestern main island, with so-called rainbands forming across five of its prefectures -- Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Oita.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of landslides, flooding and rising rivers as unstable atmospheric conditions spread across western and eastern Japan.