2 in Japan Found in State of Cardiopulmonary Arrest Amid Record Rainfall; Five Reported Missing in Fukuoka, Kumamoto Prefs

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, August 12, 2025

Two people were found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest in Kumamoto Prefecture, while five were reported missing in Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures, as a result of torrential rain that hit Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture from Sunday to Tuesday.

The rain was caused by the flow of warm, moist air. Linear precipitation bands, which can cause heavy rain in a short period of time, formed over Kumamoto Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture and other areas many times.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a number of municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture logged record rainfall. Within the 12-hour period until Monday morning, Tamana logged 404.5 millimeters of rain, Yatsushiro logged 385.5 millimeters and Kosa logged 361 millimeters, all of which were about double the average monthly rainfall for August.

The agency issued a special heavy rain warning in Tamana and other places for a while on Monday.

In Kosa, a man was found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest in a house crushed by a mudslide at about 1:30 p.m. on Monday. In Yatsushiro, a woman was found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest in a car that fell into an irrigation canal.

The agency said that a warning-level amount of rain might hit the Hokuriku region, northern Kyushu and other places from Tuesday evening to early Wednesday morning.

The rain is forecast to be the heaviest in the 24 hours until 6 a.m. Wednesday. The Hokuriku and Tokai regions are expected to see 100 millimeters of rain, and the Tohoku, Kanto-Koshin and Chugoku regions, as well as northern Kyushu and Okinawa Prefecture, are expected to see 80 millimeters of rain.