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Osaka, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) More than 5,000 people in western and southwestern Japan were advised on Monday to evacuate due to threats of flooding caused by heavy rain, local press reported.

In the western Japanese prefecture of Hyogo, parts of which saw hourly rainfall between 80 and 100 millimeters by noon on Monday, about 5,000 people in Taka Town were asked to leave home where the rising water levels of nearby rivers were posing risks, according to Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Japan's public broadcaster.

The report also said that more than 70 houses are inundated above or below floor level in several cities, including Tamba and Nishiwaki, and in towns of the prefecture since some rivers near the areas are also flooded due to the rain.

Meanwhile, in southwestern Japan, a persistent heavy rainfall has also forced about 150 people in the prefecture of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, to evacuate because their homes are almost inundated, the report added.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned that heavy rainfall brought by an autumnal rain front could further trigger landslides and floods in a wide area of western Japan, parts of which may see hourly rainfall about 50 millimeters by Tuesday morning.