Heavy snowfall battered Japan since mid-December, leaving a clear mark across the country with at least eight fatalities and dozens more injured. The Fire and Disaster Management Department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications confirmed eight deaths and forty-five injuries across five prefectures: Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Niigata, and Ishikawa. The situation came into sharper focus as NHK reported that the winter storm mainly struck along the Sea of Japan coastline, though regions outside traditional snow belts, including parts of the Shikoku region facing the Pacific, were not spared from wintry conditions.
Authorities cited a troubling pattern on December 20, when a 20-year-old woman was found dead in a snow-covered vehicle in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. In cities such as Nagaoka, Kashiwazaki, and Ojiya, elderly residents aged 80 and above lost their lives while attempting to remove snow from roofs. The relentless cold and heavy snowfall placed severe strain on households and communities that are not normally accustomed to such deep freezes.
Across the affected areas, the snow and cold took a toll on health and safety. Of the 45 people impacted, nineteen sustained serious injuries due to broken bones or accidents involving ladders during snow removal work. The dangers of clearing snowfall are evident, with roofs bearing heavy loads and slippery surfaces posing ongoing risks to both residents and workers in the field.
Transportation networks also suffered. Provisional reports indicate hundreds of vehicles stranded on major routes, with a single highway through Kashiwazaki seeing congestion that left about eight hundred vehicles unable to move along a stretch of roughly thirty kilometers. In Niigata Prefecture, investigations showed that as many as twenty thousand residents experienced power outages tied to the winter weather. Local authorities urged everyone to exercise caution, prepare for possible delays, and avoid unnecessary travel to reduce further disruptions on the roads and to protect those most vulnerable to the cold.