PM Aso inspects landslide on Kyushu Expressway

PM Aso inspects landslide on Kyushu Expressway

ONOJO, Japan - Prime Minister Taro Aso (3rd from R) inspects the site of a landslide on the Kyushu Expressway in Onojo, Fukuoka Prefecture, on July 29.

Death toll from heavy rain in northern Kyushu rises to 12

Death toll from heavy rain in northern Kyushu rises to 12

FUKUOKA, Japan - Photo shows a van that was hit by a mudslide on the Kyushu Expressway on July 26. The bodies of Yoshihiro Inoue, 42, and his wife Minako, 39, both well-known figures in domestic and international hot-air balloon competitions, were found in the van on July 27.

Heavy rain continues in western Japan

Heavy rain continues in western Japan

FUKUOKA, Japan - A landslide blocks the Kyushu Expressway in the city of Onojo, Fukuoka Prefecture, on July 26 as heavy rains continue in western Japan.

Hijacked bus stops at parking lot in Hiroshima Pref.

Hijacked bus stops at parking lot in Hiroshima Pref.

HIROSHIMA, Japan - An expressway bus hijacked by a knife-wielding man in Kyushu stops at a parking lot on the Sanyo Expressway in Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, shortly before 6 p.m. on May 3. Police blocked the expressway to lead the bus into the parking lot and were negotiating with the hijacker, believed to be in his late teens, in the evening. The bus was hijacked at around 1:30 p.m. the same day en route from Saga to Fukuoka and was heading eastward before coming to a stop.

Hijacked bus stops at parking lot in Hiroshima Pref.

Hijacked bus stops at parking lot in Hiroshima Pref.

HIROSHIMA, Japan - An expressway bus hijacked by a knife-wielding man in Kyushu stops at a parking lot on the Sanyo Expressway in Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, shortly before 6 p.m. on May 3. Police blocked the expressway to lead the bus into the parking lot and were negotiating with the hijacker, believed to be in his late teens, in the evening. The bus was hijacked at around 1:30 p.m. the same day en route from Saga to Fukuoka and was heading eastward before coming to a stop.

Major highway reopens in quake-hit Kumamoto

Major highway reopens in quake-hit Kumamoto

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a section of the Kyushu Expressway in southwestern Japan on April 29, 2016. The highway fully reopened the same day after a series of powerful earthquakes forced the key transportation artery to remain partially closed for two weeks. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

1 dead, 6 others hurt in multiple pileup on highway

1 dead, 6 others hurt in multiple pileup on highway

Photo taken Feb. 28, 2017, shows burnt vehicles involved in a pileup on the Kyushu Expressway in the southwestern Japan town of Mashiki. One man was killed and six others were hurt in the accident. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo