Heavy snowfall has been predicted for wide areas of Japan through Monday, the Meteorological Agency said Saturday.

Deep snow was expected in the Pacific side of the Tohoku region and inland areas of eastern Japan, the agency said.

Strong winds were expected in wide areas of the Pacific side of the Kanto and the Tohoku regions, it warned.

Snowfall of up to 50 cm was expected to accumulate in the 24 hours to midday Sunday in the Pacific side of the Tohoku region and in the Koshin region.

Some areas along the Sea of Japan in the Tohoku region were expecting about 30 cm of snow, while about 20 cm was predicted for the Kanto and Tokai regions.