Thirty people died and hundreds were injured after weeks of heavy snowfall battered coastal Japan, with officials warning the toll could increase as more precipitation was forecast in the coming days.
The Sea of Japan coast has been witnessing heavy snowfall since 20 January, plunging temperatures to as low as -23C in the northern districts in recent days. The extreme weather has raised concerns over voter turnout in the first mid-winter election in almost three decades.
The East Asian country is going to polls on 8 February after prime minister Sanae Takaichi called a snap election to strengthen her hold on power.
Niigata prefecture recorded 12 fatalities, Akita six, and Aomori four. Many of the deaths occurred as people were trying to remove snow from around their homes, officials said.
The dead included a 91-year-old woman who was found buried under around three metres (9.8ft) of snow outside her home. One man in his 60s died after his house collapsed under the weight of accumulated snow, NHK reported.
Some of the deaths were linked to falls from rooftops or sudden illness while working in severe conditions. Nearly 290 people were injured nationwide, some seriously, due to snow-related accidents, according to NHK.
“I urge people to stay alert to weather information and to take steps to ensure their own safety,” Ms Takaichi said at a ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
“As further significant snowfall is forecast for the weekend, I ask all ministers to take every possible measure to prevent damage and to provide necessary support without hesitation.”
Though Japan is accustomed to heavy snowfall, authorities say the conditions are particularly severe this winter, burying homes, disrupting transport and stranding travellers.
Severe conditions are complicating election preparations in snowbound regions. In Fukui and Aomori prefectures, election billboards were buried under snow last week, while some municipalities reduced the number of signboards because conventional installation sites were inaccessible, local media reported.
The Japanese government ordered the deployment of troops on Tuesday to assist in affected areas, NHK reported, as officials warned residents to watch for avalanches, falling snow from roofs and the risk of power outages.
In the northern city of Aomori, accumulated snowfall reached 183cm on Sunday, the highest level recorded since 1986. By Tuesday, snow depth in the city stood at about 175cm, more than double the seasonal average.
Several other cities reported snow accumulation of at least 135cm.
“There are imminent life-threatening crises, such as fatal accidents caused by snow falling from roofs and house collapses,” Aomori governor Soichiro Miyashita said at a news conference on Monday, adding that he had requested military disaster relief, particularly for the elderly residents living alone who required help clearing snow.
Japan’s weather agency said some parts of the country were experiencing more than double the usual snowfall after a cold Arctic air mass lingered over the archipelago.
Heavy snowfall continued along the Sea of Japan coast on Tuesday, driven by winter pressure patterns bringing freezing air over the Tohoku region.
Forecasters warned that additional snow showers were likely in parts of the north and the west in the coming days, raising concerns that disruptions could continue ahead of the voting day.
Polls suggest Ms Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party is on course for victory, but analysts warn that severe weather could depress turnout, especially in rural and snowbound regions that traditionally play a decisive role in Japanese elections.
Ms Takaichi called on voters to carefully participate in the election while monitoring weather conditions. “Stay vigilant and take all possible measures to hold the election," she said at the meeting with ministers, according to Jiji Press.
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