Japanese PM Abe promises to help victims of floods; death toll up to 25

Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers conduct search and rescue operation at a damaged house caused by a heavy rain in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday visited a region devastated by flooding over recent days and promised that the government would do everything possible to help rebuild.

Torrential rain that began a week ago set off landslides and sent rivers surging over their banks on the southwestern island of Kyushu, at one point forcing more than 400,000 people from their homes.