Heavy snowfall blanketed large areas of Japan on Wednesday, hindering transportation, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and disrupting train services, resulting in at least one fatality. Unusually cold weather and severe low-pressure systems led to significant snowfall and strong winds across the country starting Tuesday.
Snowfall was particularly intense along the Sea of Japan, with record amounts reported in Maniwa, western Japan, where 93 centimeters of snow fell within just 24 hours. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated in a press conference that one person died due to the storm, and they are verifying whether the deaths of two others are related to the cold weather. No further details are available yet.
Media reports indicated that local airlines canceled more than 300 flights, and services on the shinkansen (bullet trains) were either suspended or delayed in northern Japan. According to Japan’s broadcasting corporation, ice caused cars and trucks to be stranded for about ten kilometers on a highway in central Japan.
Approximately three thousand people were stranded at two train stations in the western city of Kyoto after snowfall and strong winds led to service suspensions on Tuesday, with some passengers forced to sleep on the floor at Kyoto Station.
The strong winds associated with the storm may also be the reason behind the sinking of a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship between western Japan and Jeju Island in South Korea earlier on Wednesday. Thirteen of the crew's 22 members were rescued, and the search is ongoing. Severe weather is expected to continue through tomorrow, Thursday.
