Heavy Snow Hits Many Parts of Japan

Tokyo, Jan. 25 (Jiji Press)--Heavy snow hit many parts of Japan on Wednesday, particularly areas along the Sea of Japan coast, causing disruptions to train and air services and expressway traffic.

According to West Japan Railway Co. <9021>, or JR West, 18 trains on the Tokaido and some other lines in western Japan were stranded between stations. About 7,200 passengers were locked temporarily in train cars for up to 10 hours.

The heavy snow also caused delays in services on the Tokaido-Sanyo, Hokuriku and Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train lines. The Yamagata Shinkansen line section between Fukushima and Shinjyo stations was closed for the whole day.

In Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, a man in his 80s was found buried in snow and later confirmed dead in the city of Maniwa. In the southwestern prefecture of Oita, a 62-year-old man died after being hit by a falling tree.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a press conference that as of 3 p.m. (6 a.m. GMT), one fatality due to the snow and two fatalities with unconfirmed links had been confirmed in Japan.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]