Bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka may be suspended from Tuesday evening due to heavy rain forecasts in central Japan, operator Central Japan Railway Co. said.

Japan's weather agency has warned of heavy rainfall in some prefectures, including Gifu, Shizuoka and Aichi, with downpours observed in southwestern Japan on Tuesday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency on Monday began warning individual prefectures of possible intense showers, providing forecasts six to 12 hours in advance and narrowing the forecast areas from the country's 11 regions.

In a 24-hour span through 6 a.m. Wednesday, 350 millimeters of rain are forecast in the Tokai region in central Japan and 250 mm in the Kinki and Shikoku regions in western Japan, according to the agency.

The Tokaido Shinkansen Line connects the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka that constitute Japan's three largest metropolitan areas.

==Kyodo

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