Tropical Storm Shanshan is lurching its way eastward over western Japan. Areas nationwide are seeing record rainfall, and authorities say the downpours could last through the weekend.
As of Saturday morning, Shanshan was travelling at 15 kilometers per hour over Kochi Prefecture in the Shikoku region. The storm has brought heavy rain for long periods, in some areas as much as 400 millimeters in 48 hours. The figure is a record high.
Mudslide alerts are in effect for several prefectures. Meteorological Agency officials say eastern and western Japan will see heavy rainfall into Saturday. They are also warning people about overflowing rivers and flooding.
Shanshan is blamed for at least six deaths, and more than 120 injured people around the country.
Three people were killed when rains from the storm sent an avalanche of mud into a home in Aichi Prefecture. Rescuers managed to pull two survivors from the rubble.
A man in his 80s was also killed in Tokushima Prefecture when the roof of his house collapsed on top of him.
A man in his 80s in the town of Chikujo, Fukuoka Prefecture, went missing after checking on a swollen river. He was later found dead downstream.
The Tokaido Shinkansen between Nagoya and Osaka is scheduled to run on Saturday. But the operator says services between Tokyo and Nagoya will be suspended at least through the morning.
Major air carriers including All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines say they will also cancel dozens of flights on Saturday. They are asking passengers to check the latest information.