Landslides and flooding triggered by the torrential rains of an approaching typhoon killed 13 people between Thursday and Friday and left four others missing, according to local officials.
Nearly 30 people have been injured recently in rain-related accidents nationwide, the National Police Agency said Friday, and about 4,000 structures in 13 prefectures have been flooded.
In Fukushima Prefecture, 10 people were claimed by landslides and flooding, including five who were trapped in a prefectural welfare facility Thursday. In Tochigi Prefecture, two bodies were found after an overflowing river washed away 10 houses. In Nara Prefecture, one person died in a rain-related accident, the National Police Agency said.
The heavy rain was caused by a typhoon approaching from near the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, according to the Meteorological Agency.