Snowstorm leaves 19 dead, causes transport chaos in Japan

National Route 18 that runs through Gunma and Nagano prefectures north of Tokyo is still partly closed, with cars stuck along several kilometres due to the heavy snow.

Members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces have also stepped in to help.

"Efforts to remove snow from the roads are continuing with Self-Defense Forces servicemen working from 7:00 am this morning," said an official at the Karuizawa ski resort in Nagano prefecture.

The transportation ministry and municipal governments are delivering emergency aid to drivers of stuck cars, officials said.

Snow began falling Friday morning in the capital Tokyo and had piled up to 26 centimetres by early Saturday, a week after the heaviest snowfall in decades left 11 people dead and more than 1,200 injured across the nation.

Most snow in the capital had melted, but forecasters predict more snow again in the region around Tokyo later this week.