Heavy snow in coastal cities from Dec. 19 through Dec. 20 northwest of Tokyo has stranded hundreds of vehicles overnight on highways while disrupting local train services and causing electrical outages.
Snow-clearing accidents killed 45 people in the three months through January, emergency authorities say, as Japan s snowy regions have been hit by heavier falls than usual this winter.
Heavy snow hit northern Japan on Monday, disrupting air and railway traffic, with weather authorities warning of more blizzards as well as high waves for the region and also some eastern parts of the country.
Heavy snow continues to hit areas on the Sea of Japan coast from the country s north to west, with many vehicles stranded and some cities in western Japan seeing record snowfall due to a strong winter pressure pattern.