Heavy snow continues across Japan

Tokyo, The Gulf Observer: Heavy snow continued Wednesday across much of Japan as the country grapples with the most severe cold snap of the season so far, with trains and vehicles stranded and at least one person left dead as winter storms caused difficulties.

Record cold temperatures were seen in parts of Japan, with snow falling on the Sea of Japan coast stretching from the country’s north to west. Amid concerns of further snowfall including in low-lying areas on the Pacific coast, the weather agency is calling for vigilance against blizzards, rough seas and icy roads.

The weather has brought widespread disruption. Thousands of people using local train services in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in western Japan were forced to stay overnight in carriages or stations, while vehicles on major roads across the country were left stranded and hundreds of flights canceled.

One person has died due to the adverse conditions in southwest Oita Prefecture, with two in Okayama Prefecture found without vital signs, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said Wednesday at a news conference in Tokyo.

The deaths of two more people in Niigata Prefecture north of the capital are also being investigated in connection with the cold weather, he said.

Snowfall in central and western Japan since about 3:50 a.m. on Wednesday has also led to closures at multiple locations in both directions on the Shin-Meishin Expressway between Mie and Shiga prefectures, its operator said.

A number of vehicles remain stranded in the closed-off sections and their presence is impeding snow-removal equipment. Consequently, expressway employees are having to remove the snow themselves and direct vehicles to the nearest exits.

Heavy snow continued across much of Japan as cold snap maintains grip

On local railways, passengers were stranded on several trains on the Biwako Line and Kyoto Line overnight from Tuesday due to snow and strong winds, operator West Japan Railway said. The company reported delays and cancellations on around 20 of its lines including express services through Wednesday morning.

The Kyoto city government said that around 1,700 people at Yamashina Station and 2,300 people at Kyoto Station were left stranded.

Some passengers reported feeling unwell and had to be taken away by ambulance. Masahiro Nishikawa, a 48-year-old who passed the night in an underground passage at Kyoto Station, said, “We only got one thermal sheet each from staff, I couldn’t sleep because it was so cold.”

In southwestern Nagasaki Prefecture, around 100 vehicles were unable to move overnight and into Wednesday on an around 9-kilometer stretch of a national road, the prefectural government said.

Elsewhere, in Fukui Prefecture, about 20 vehicles were stuck from late Tuesday on a national road, with traffic brought to a halt on a 14-kilometer stretch until early Wednesday.

Among the other effects on transportation, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said more than 300 flights scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled.

High-speed train services have also been disrupted, with East Japan Railway suspending bullet train runs between Fukushima and Shinjo on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line in the northeastern Tohoku region throughout the day.

Sections of bullet trains services on the Sanyo Shinkansen and Tokaido Shinkansen lines were running at reduced speed, according to their operators, while delays were also experienced on the Tohoku and Akita Shinkansen lines.

Central Tokyo experienced subzero temperatures on Tuesday night and its first snow of the year, though just a small amount fell and did not settle on the ground.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warns that the strong winter weather cell is expected to hold through Thursday.

Mountainous and coastal regions on the Sea of Japan side of the Chugoku region in the country’s west saw particularly large snowfalls. Among them, Maniwa in Okayama Prefecture observed 93 centimeters of snow in the 24 hours through 8 a.m. Wednesday, its most on record.

Atmospheric conditions in Japan’s east and west are forecast to continue to be very unstable, the agency said. Powerful winds blowing across the country are also expected to cause seas to be rough.