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TOKYO: Dozens of flights were canceled as heavy snowfall hit several areas of Japan on Thursday (December 31), while New Year celebrations slowed as the country tackles a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has urged people to celebrate the New Year in silence and avoid non-essential excursions amid the twin crises.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled or planned to cancel a total of about 140 flights, public broadcaster NHK reported, adding that a bullet train had suspended services in parts of the northern Yamagata prefecture.
A 70-year-old man died in northern Iwate prefecture after he apparently fell into a river while trying to remove snow with a shovel loader, NHK said.
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Japan has been battling a third wave of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks and on Monday began banning the entry of non-resident foreign nationals after detecting variants of the virus from Great Britain and South Africa.
Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Wednesday that the government may have to consider declaring a state of emergency if the number of COVID-19 cases increases.
Japan’s Imperial Household Agency canceled an annual New Year’s event scheduled for January 2, in which Emperor Naruhito and other members of the imperial family were to greet supporters.
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People have been asked to stagger visits to shrines, traditionally popular destinations, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
In Tokyo, where the governor warned of a possible explosion of COVID-19 cases amid record daily increases, additional train services will be suspended from late December 31 to January 1.
Around 3,400 people have died in Japan out of around 231,000 cases during the pandemic so far.
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