Rain and snow offer hope to contain Japan's worst wildfire

Japan battled its worst wildfire in half a century on Wednesday in a region hit by record-low rainfall, as wet weather gave hope for some relief.

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The blaze around the northern city of Ofunato has raged for more than a week, killing one person and forcing nearly 4,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

It has engulfed about 2,900 hectares-around half the size of Manhattan - making it the largest wildfire since at least 1975, when 2,700 hectares burnt in Hokkaido.

Columns of white smoke billowed from a mountain through the rain and snow on Wednesday. More wet weather was forecast through Thursday.