Tokyo, Aug 15 (IANS): As torrential rain continued across Japan, the highest level of alert was issued by local authorities in Hiroshima Prefecture and three others in Kyushu region, which has directly affected some 1.42 million people, local media reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, landslides and flood damage were likely to occur in areas extending from western Japan to the northeastern part of the country with a seasonal front expected to hover near the main island of Honshu for a week, reports xinhua news agency.

The highest level of alert was issued on Saturday in the three prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, and Nagasaki in northern Kyushu. as well as the western prefecture of Hiroshima, covering around 1.42 million people from some 650,000 households, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Disaster Minister Yasufumi Tanahashi called on households in the affected areas "to take action to save their lives without hesitation if they feel even a slight threat".

A weather agency official said at a press conference that heavy rain warnings could also be issued in western and eastern Japan.

In the 24 hours as of Sunday morning, rainfall in the central Japan region of Tokai is expected to reach as high as 300 m, while up to 250 mm rainfall is forecast across wider areas including Shikoku, Kinki, and the Kanto-Koshin regions.

In addition, a forecast of up to 200 mm is made in the Chugoku region.

At the same time, the city government of Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture has identified a woman who died in a rain-triggered mudslide on Friday as Fumiyo Mori, 59, and the two missing as her husband Yasuhiro, 67, and their daughter Yuko, 32.