Japanese weather officials forecast rain and thunder storms will hit wider parts of western Japan from Thursday night through Saturday.

The Meteorological Agency expects a seasonal rain front and a low-pressure system to approach the region on Friday and later.

Heavy rain has pummeled the Tokai region, central Japan, prompting weather officials to warn of mudslides.

The accumulated rainfall for the one hour through 5 p.m. on Wednesday reached 32 millimeters in Kawazu Town in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Japanese weather officials are warning of possible landslides and flooding in wide areas from Kyushu to the Kanto region as torrential rain is forecast through Sunday morning.

In one hour through 5 a.m., 40 millimeters of rain fell on Makurazaki City in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu.

Japanese weather officials are warning of possible landslides and flooding in low-lying areas of southern Kyushu as torrential rain is forecast through Sunday.

In one hour through 8 p.m., 35.5 millimeters of rain fell on Ibusuki City in Kagoshima Prefecture. Miyazaki City had 27.5 millimeters.

Weather officials in Japan are warning of possible mudslides as heavy rain is expected across much of the country on Friday.

A rain front and a low-pressure system are bringing localized downpours to the Kyushu and Chugoku regions in western Japan.

Japanese weather officials are warning of localized heavy rains in wide areas of western to northeastern Japan by Monday morning.

The meteorological agency says warm, damp air is flowing from the west into a front, causing atmospheric conditions to become unstable over most of the country.

Japan's weather officials are advising people to take precautions against heavy rain through Monday.

The Meteorological Agency says warm, damp air flowing toward a front over the main island of Honshu has made atmospheric conditions unstable over wide areas of western and eastern Japan.

The Meteorological Agency says Japan has entered the rainy season, except for the northern part of the Tohoku region.

Agency officials said on Thursday that a seasonal rain front and warm, damp air are creating unstable atmospheric conditions over western and eastern Japan.

Weather officials are forecasting localized torrential rainfall in western and eastern Japan through early Friday, and are warning of mudslides and flooding.

The Meteorological Agency says a front stretching along the Honshu region and warm humid air are making atmospheric conditions unstable over a wide area of western and eastern Japan.

Japan's Environment Ministry says waste produced by decontamination work following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident could leak at 12 locations in case of torrential rain.

The ministry checked all the sites where the waste is kept after 91 bags were swept into rivers in Fukushima and Tochigi prefectures last year due to downpours caused by Typhoon Hagibis.