More than 300 vehicles were stranded in the snow early Tuesday on highways and major roads along the Sea of Japan coast, prompting a request for troops to help with rescue efforts.
Roughly 200 vehicles were held up on National Route 373 in the town of Chizu, Tottori Prefecture, as of 5 a.m., while some 130 vehicles were caught on the Tottori Expressway connecting Hyogo and Tottori prefectures as of 6:40 a.m., according to highway and government officials.
As of 6:30 a.m., 20 vehicles were stuck on the Yonago Expressway that links Tottori and Okayama prefectures, although at one point, about 120 vehicles were stranded between the Kofu and Hiruzen exits. The trapped vehicles were freed later in the day.