TOKYO (DPA) - Authorities issued an evacuation order to tens of thousands of residents in western Japan on Sunday (July 21) as torrential rain lashed the region.

Forecasters warned of mudslides, flooding and swollen rivers on the island of Kyushu and the Chugoku region, as Typhoon Danas, which was moving over the Korean Peninsula, dropped record-breaking rain on some parts of western Japan.

About 300mm of rain had been dumped on the cities of Tosu and Kurume on Kyushu for 12 hours until 10am local time (9am local time), according to the Meteorological Agency.

Authorities issued an evacuation order to tens of thousands of residents in the prefectures of Fukuoka and Hiroshima.

As of 9 am, the eye of the storm was over the Korean Peninsula, travelling north-east at 30 kilometres per hour with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of 90 km/h, the agency said.

Rainfall of up to 200mm was forecast for the northern Kyushu and up to 150mm for the Chugoku region and the south-western island of Shikoku by Monday noon, according to the agency.

A year ago, torrential rains in western Japan caused floods and landslides, killing more than 220 people, the largest number of weather-related deaths in three decades.