Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday canceled a planned trip to Europe and the Middle East, remaining in Japan to oversee the government's response to the devastation caused by torrential rain in the west of the country over recent days.

Abe had been scheduled to leave for Brussels on Wednesday to sign a free trade deal with the European Union. In response to the cancellation of the trip, the European Commission said Japan and the European Union have agreed to hold a meeting between Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Abe in Tokyo on July 17 to sign the pact.

After Belgium, Abe was expected to visit France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before returning on July 18.

The prime minister is now expected to visit the western Japan regions hit hard by the massive flooding and landslides that began last Thursday, government officials said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference Abe will see to it that the government is taking all "possible measures, including rescuing people and reconstruction support."

Suga said the government will decide when and where Abe will travel to after receiving a report from disaster management minister Hachiro Okonogi, who has gone to Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures, two areas that have suffered the most from flooding and deadly landslides.

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