Torrential rain driven by a stalled seasonal front pounded Japan’s southern island of Kyushu from 10–12 August, forcing the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest Level-5 emergency warning for seven municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture and to urge millions elsewhere to evacuate. Tamana in Kumamoto logged 453.5 millimetres of rain in 24 hours, more than twice its average for the entire month of August and a local record. Local authorities said the deluge left at least three people dead—two in Kumamoto and one in neighbouring Kagoshima—and about five others missing after rivers overflowed or mudslides struck. Search-and-rescue teams continued to comb flood-hit areas of Kumamoto and Fukuoka on Tuesday as isolated communities were reached and water levels receded. Damage assessments are still under way, but the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and prefectural governments reported more than 700 homes flooded, riverbank breaches on eight waterways and landslides that severed roads and buried vehicles. Kyushu Electric Power said roughly 6,000 households lost electricity at the height of the storm, while West Japan Railway suspended Sanyo Shinkansen services between Kagoshima-Chuo and Hakata and closed sections of the Kyushu Expressway. Although the front is expected to drift north, the weather agency warned that saturated ground keeps the risk of additional landslides high in Kyushu and that heavy rain could shift to the Hokuriku region later on 12 August. Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant even where rainfall has eased and to prepare for further disruptions if the system re-intensifies.