Unusually heavy snowfall hits Japan. The snowfall has caused 30 deaths in the past two weeks. The dead included a 91-year-old grandmother who was found buried in a three-meter-high pile of snow outside her house.
The central government has deployed troops to help residents in Aomori, the worst-hit region, where 4.5 meters (15 feet) of snow still covers the ground in the remote area.
Reported by the news agency AFPTuesday (3/2/2026), Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a special cabinet-level meeting on Tuesday (3/2) morning to instruct ministers to do everything they can to prevent deaths and accidents.
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Heavy snowfall has occurred along the Sea of ​​Japan coast in recent weeks, with some areas experiencing more than double the usual volume of snow.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that from January 20 to Tuesday (3/2) local time, 30 people had died due to heavy snowfall.
Among them was 91-year-old Kina Jin, whose body was found under a pile of snow at her home in Ajigasawa, Aomori, a local police official told AFP.
Police believe snow from the roof of his house fell on him. The cause of death was suffocation, said the police official, who did not want to be named. An aluminum shovel was found next to his body.
“As the weather warms, the accumulated snow melts and falls. It depends on the volume (of snow) and temperature. Under the roof is a dangerous place,” the official told AFP.
Aomori Governor Soichiro Miyashita said he had asked the Japanese military to provide assistance.
He said he had asked military troops to help elderly people in the area who live alone and need help clearing snow.
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(eng/ita)
