Workers remove snow in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 16. (Ryo Kato)
The Niigata prefectural government on Dec. 17 asked the Ground Self-Defense Force to assist hundreds of motorists stranded overnight on the Kan-etsu Expressway due to heavy snow.
SDF members are expected to be based at the Echigo Kawaguchi Service Area and distribute goods, help remove snow and rescue vehicles stuck on the expressway, which connects Niigata Prefecture and Tokyo.
From the afternoon of Dec. 16, motorists have been stranded in many areas along the expressway, according to East Nippon Expressway Co. and Niigata prefectural police’s expressway division.
The culprit is a cold air mass that hung over the Sea of Japan off western Japan, dumping massive amounts of snow from Dec. 16 to the morning of Dec. 17.
大雪の関越道で車が立ち往生 「生きるか死ぬかの思い」:朝日新聞デジタル
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「半日以上動かず」新潟や群馬で大雪、関越道で車数百台立往生
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