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TOKYO: Japan deployed the military on Thursday (December 17) to help residents caught in a record snowfall that has covered parts of the country, with 10,000 homes without power in the north and west.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency cabinet meeting and urged the public to be cautious, as local media reported that more than 1,000 cars were stranded on a highway connecting Tokyo to Niigata in the north.
Over 72 hours, a record 2.17 meters of snow fell in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, reportedly, while Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture, famous for skiing, received a record 1.8 meters of snow on Thursday morning.
Snow also fell on the city of Kyoto temples, producing images of delicate pagodas and famous flake-dusted shrines that delighted social media.
Members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces were delivering blankets and food to homes suffering from blackouts, local officials said.
Tsuyoshi Watanabe, a Niigata disaster management official, told AFP that he had asked soldiers to help some 460 vehicles stranded on a road.
“We are doing everything possible to rescue drivers and passengers … we are ready to continue our operation overnight,” he said.
He said a dozen people had been injured in snow-related accidents in Niigata in the past two days.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the storm was forecast to weaken temporarily, but more snow was expected for the region over the weekend.
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The cold snap comes as Japan battles a surge in coronavirus cases, even though it has had a relatively small outbreak overall and avoided imposing strict lockdown measures.
The third wave of infections prompted Suga to urge people to avoid traveling and forced the first cancellation of the Sapporo Snow Festival, whose intricate ice sculptures attract thousands of people each year.
