An evacuation drill simulating a ballistic missile launch has been held on Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost remote island, for the first time.

Twenty-two residents, including children, took part in the drill jointly organized by the central and prefectural governments and Yonaguni Town in Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.

Evacuation orders are in place for parts of Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Oita prefectures in Japan's southwestern Kyushu region due to heavy rainfall.

Officials are calling on residents to be on the alert for risks of floods and landslides.

Torrential rain in Japan's southern Kyushu region is causing a high risk of floods and landslides. As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, authorities had issued evacuation orders for 12 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Torrential rain in Japan's southern Kyushu region is causing a high risk of floods and landslides. As of 2 p.m. on Saturday, authorities had issued evacuation orders for 12 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture.

An evacuation order that's been in place since the 2011 nuclear accident has been lifted in some parts of Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture.

The order was lifted on Wednesday for nearly 5 percent of the town that co-hosts the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japan's government says a charter flight will head for Wuhan, China, on Tuesday night to evacuate Japanese expatriates.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made the announcement earlier in the day. The government will start evacuating all expatriates who wish to leave the city, where the outbreak originated.

NHK has learned that Japan's foreign ministry is making arrangements with the Chinese government to evacuate Japanese nationals from the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly virus outbreak.

The ministry on Friday raised the infectious disease warning for Hubei Province to the second-highest level of three, and is urging Japanese citizens not to travel there.

An evacuation order that has been enforced in three towns in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, since the 2011 nuclear accident will be partially lifted in March.

The Japanese government reached the decision at a meeting of the nuclear disaster taskforce attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.