Japan is covered in snow

Two people were killed and 1,569 injured as a result of heavy snowfall that hit Japan, NHKNews reports.

Photo: Reuters

Most of the victims are elderly pedestrians who slip on icy roads and participants in road accidents. Traffic on highways is so difficult that drivers are forced to get out of their cars right on the road.

Photo: Reuters

The heaviest snowfall is in the prefectures of Tokyo, Nagano, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Yamanashi and Niigata.

Railways stopped operating in several areas due to heavy snow. Japan's largest airlines, All Nippon and Japan Airlines, canceled about 40 domestic flights, and dozens were postponed indefinitely. As a result, about 100 thousand passengers are forced to wait for permission to take off.

Photo: Reuters

The snowfall, which caused the so-called “bomb cyclone,” according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, was the largest in terms of snowfall since January 2006, when 90 millimeters of snow fell in the Japanese capital. In one day, 80 millimeters of precipitation fell in Tokyo, while in neighboring Yokohama Prefecture - 130 millimeters.

Photo: Reuters

In the near future, up to 500 millimeters of snow is expected in the Kanto and Kashin regions, and up to 400 millimeters in the northeast of the country. Meteorologists promise that strong winds will come from the Pacific Ocean to Japan.