Weather

Although some parts of Japan have yet to see this year's first snowfall, experts say they already know when spring will come. Residents of Kochi Prefecture in the Shikoku region will be the first to see cherry blossoms of the Somei-Yoshino tree this year, as early as March 18, according to a f...

Travelers in Hokkaido remained stranded Monday after flight cancellations due to heavy snow from Saturday onwards delayed around 2,000, leaving many stranded overnight at a key airport just as the country's New Year holidays wrapped up. On Monday, check-in counters at New Chitose Airport near ...

Victims of last July's torrential rain that hit parts of western Japan were remembered Sunday, six months after the first special heavy rain warning during the disaster was issued. Bereaved relatives and residents laid flowers on an altar set up within the premises of a residential complex in ...

As many as four people died in accidents amid heavy snow over the weekend as wide areas of Japan were gripped in frigid weather, police said. In Akabira, Hokkaido, on Saturday, a 51-year-old man fell when he was removing snow from the roof of his father-in-law's house and was pronounced dead at ...

The exodus of people spending the New Year's holidays overseas or outside major metropolitan areas peaked Saturday, filling up seats on bullet trains and congesting roads. As a wide area of the country was gripped by cold weather, the Meteorological Agency also warned the public to beware of h...

With the snowfall season having properly begun in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, the Consumer Affairs Agency is calling for snow blowers to be used in an appropriate manner to ensure safety in the wake of a series of fatal accidents last winter. A snow blower has a metal auger that rotates t...

Weather observatories are shifting toward providing snow forecasts for shorter time frames, hoping to better accommodate sudden weather changes and prevent disasters and traffic disruptions. The observatories have traditionally forecasted snow for the next 24 hours, but many have shifted to 12...

100 YEARS AGO Friday, Dec. 27 1918 Snow snarls Tokyo on Christmas night THE JAPAN TIMES Tokyo and surrounding neighborhoods were visited by another snowfall on Christmas evening. The snow set in at about 5:30 p.m. and continued throughout the night. The snowfall was about 5 inches deep,...

Transport authorities are looking at a plan to require the use of snow chains on vehicles, even those equipped with winter tires, during times of heavy snowfall on designated sections of roads and highways. The transport ministry and the National Police Agency aim to implement the new regulation ...

A total of 47 Japanese have been confirmed safe in the historic city of Petra in Jordan after flash floods hit sightseeing spots in the area on Friday, Japanese officials there said. The 47 consist of 45 tourists and two tour guides, none of whom were injured, they said, adding that the Japanese ...