Japan's Meteorological Agency and land ministry are calling on people in the path of Typhoon Haishen to prepare with the utmost caution.

In a joint news conference on Saturday, an official from the Meteorological Agency said Haishen is expected to develop to an emergency-warning level before approaching Okinawa on Sunday morning and Amami later in the day.

The prefecture and the city of Hiroshima have appealed a district court ruling that legally recognizes people exposed to radioactive rain immediately after the 1945 atomic bombing as "hibakusha," or survivors of the bombing.

The local governments filed their appeal with the Hiroshima High Court on Wednesday, the deadline for appealing against last month's Hiroshima District Court ruling.

A Chilean man suspected of murdering a Japanese student in France four years ago has been handed over to French law enforcement authorities.

Nicolas Zepeda was accompanied by Chilean officials from his home in Vina del Mar to an airport in the capital, Santiago.

Torrential rains that lashed southern Japan on Saturday began to ease in the afternoon, prompting authorities to change a heavy rain 'emergency warning' for Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures to a 'warning'.

Flooding continues to cause havoc in many residential areas, and Nakamoto Yoshihisa, Japan's Meteorological Agency official, urged people to remain alert, and follow any evacuation orders from their municipalities.

Russian authorities say they have released a Japanese fishing boat after detaining it last week.

The authorities say they freed the No.68 Shoyo-maru on Monday after receiving a deposit.

Russian authorities say they detained a Japanese fishing boat near Russian-held islands claimed by Japan after finding undeclared catch on the vessel.

The No. 68 Shoyo-maru, a cod fishing boat from Nemuro City in Hokkaido, northern Japan, was detained on Wednesday with six crewmembers on board.