Japan has ordered more than one million people on the southern main island of Kyushu to evacuate to designated shelters as torrential rains batter the region.

Parts of Kyushu have received over 1,000mm (39.4in) of rain since Friday – about as much as usually falls during the whole month of July, broadcaster NHK said.

Forecasters expect as much as 300mm more rain could fall in some areas by Thursday evening.

The heavy rains have triggered small landslides, which have killed an elderly woman in Kagoshima, and threaten to cause widespread flooding.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency issued evacuation orders for 1.1 million residents of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures at the southern tip of the island. Around 930,000 more people were advised to leave.

Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures Members of the fire department monitor the water level of the Wada River in torrential rain in Kagoshima City, Japan on July 3 AP Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures A train stops before a landslide by a station in Kagoshima, Japan on July 3 EPA Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures The Kotsuki River swells under heavy rain in Kagoshima City, Japan on July 3 numalas defumat / YouTube Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures A woman walks in torrential rain in Kirishima, Japan on July 3 Reuters Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures The Futami River swells under heavy rain in Yatsushiro, Japan on July 3 Reuters Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures Residents shelter in an evacuation centre in Kumamoto, Japan on July 3 EPA Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures The Wada River is nearing its overflow level in Kagoshima, Japan on July 3 EPA Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures A road is flooded during heavy rain in Soo City, Japan on July 3 AP Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures The Kuma River swells under heavy rain in Yatsushiro, Japan on July 3 EPA Landslides and flooding hit Japan in torrential rain: In pictures The Kotsuki River swells under heavy rain in Kagoshima City, Japan on July 3 EPA

Kotaro Nogami, Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary, said 14,000 ground troops were on standby for emergency rescue and search operations.

He urged residents to use caution and try to evacuate early “to protect your lives” rather than waiting until the last minute.

One woman in an evacuation centre told NKH: “I live alone next to a river, and it’s scary to think of water rising.”

Another said the volume of rainfall was “terrible”.

Several small landslides were reported, including one that swept away a mother and a child in a car, causing minor injuries.

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Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, said residents should ”take steps to protect their lives, including early evacuation,” and he ordered the military to prepare for rescue operations.

Mr Abe was criticised for the government’s slow response in July a year ago, after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 200 people in Japan’s worst weather-related disaster in 36 years.