About 1,100 vehicles were stranded on an expressway and more than 10,000 households suffered blackouts Thursday as heavy snow hit a wide area along the Sea of Japan coast, the government and police said.
The snow has disrupted multiple road and train services since Wednesday and is expected to continue to fall heavily through Friday in the region, according to the Meteorological Agency. It warned of further traffic disruptions and slippery roads.
The government has also set up a task force to deal with the snow. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said more than 10,000 households in total had lost power in Niigata Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture as well as in other locations.