14 July 2012 Last updated at 19:57

In pictures: Japan floods

Japanese soldiers search for missing people in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.

Torrential rains have flooded several regions of southern Japan. At least 230,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes. Here, Japanese soldiers search for people missing in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture.

Aerial view of the flooded homes near Yabe River in Yanagawa, Fukuoka prefecture.

Flash floods and mudslides have submerged homes in Yanagawa, Fukuoka prefecture, where the Yabe River burst its banks.

Local residents stand on grassland as they look out towards greenhouses submerged by floodwaters in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture.

Greenhouses have been submerged by the rising water, ruining crops.

Workers clean a banquet room in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture.

Businesses have been affected too. Here a banquet room in a hotel in Aso is flooded with mud.

A destroyed car lies near collapsed houses after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture.

The force of the waters shifted cars and tore down buildings.

The rain shows no sign of abating as search and rescue operations continue across the affected areas.

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In pictures: Japan floods

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