A Level 5 Emergency Warning for flooding has been issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency for the Shonai River across Gifu and Aichi prefectures due to torrential rain, signaling extreme danger and likely disasters.

Residents should seek safety by moving to higher floors of buildings if evacuation centers are not safe or accessible.

Officials warn that unprecedented rainfall may already have triggered hazards such as mudslides in warning areas, underscoring the need for heightened precautions.

Nagoya City recorded an hourly rainfall of 104.5 millimeters—the highest on record—while Tajimi City logged 93 millimeters in the same period, underscoring the severity of downpours.

Forecasters expect continued torrential rain across much of central Japan in the coming days, with authorities urging vigilance for landslides, overflowing rivers, and flooding in low-lying areas.

Level 5 is the highest on the agency’s five-tier flooding scale, indicating extreme danger and imminent disaster in affected zones.