TOKYO (Bernama-Jiji Press): Heavy snow has been pounding the Sea of Japan coast since Tuesday, and it was worst at the start of the weekend. The weather has left three people dead and 12 others injured, it was reported by local media.
Heavy snow continued to fall in areas along the Sea of Japan coast on Jan 24, with the country’s weather agency warning of transport disruptions owing to more snowfall over the weekend.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported heavy snow in the cities of Katsuyama and Ono in Fukui prefecture, warning of slippery roads and possible avalanches as a cold air mass and strong winter pressure pattern persist through Jan 25.
Northern to western regions facing the Sea of Japan, including Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture, a popular tourist destination, and Niigata prefecture, home to ski resorts, have seen heavy snowfall since earlier this week.
Highway traffic may be disrupted between Nagoya and Osaka, with multiple road sections between the central and western Japanese prefectures likely to be closed overnight as a precautionary measure, according to Central Nippon Expressway and West Nippon Expressway.
Some areas of Japan have already seen twice as much snow as it usually gets at this time of the year.
Up to 80cm of snow is forecast to fall in the Hokuriku region and 70cm in Kanto-Koshinetsu around Tokyo, as well as in Tokai, centreing on Nagoya, in the 24 hours until 6pm on Jan 25.
According to data compiled by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency as of Friday morning, one person died in each of the cities of Uonuma, Nagaoka and Sado in the central prefecture of Niigata.
The injuries were reported in prefectures including Aomori in northeastern Japan and Kyoto in western Japan. Of the total, five people were seriously injured, and seven suffered minor injuries.
Of the three fatalities, the victim in Uonuma, a man in his 50s, died after apparently suffering acute illness while unloading snow from the roof of his house, according to the Niigata prefectural government.
The other two, a man in his 70s in Nagaoka and a man in his 50s in Sado, died while clearing snow. -- Bernama-Jiji Press
