"At least one man was swept away in a river while he was in a car. His body was later found inside the vehicle," Kamenobu said.
Nine others were missing in Hyogo, in the western part of Japan's main island, police said. About 2,200 people were evacuated from homes and stayed at public schools there.
A woman was also found dead in her house that was destroyed by a landslide in neighboring Okayama prefecture, police official Wataru Yamamoto said.
Japan's Meteorological Agency warned of heavy precipitation and landslides in eastern Japan as Etau heads north.
