Heavy Snow Hits Northern Japan: 140 Flight Schedules Canceled, 970 Train Trips Stopped

Illustration of heavy snow in Hokkaido, Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/Cesar I. Martins)

JAKARTA - Heavy snow swept across northern Japan on Monday, disrupting air and rail traffic, with weather authorities warning of more blizzards, as well as high waves for the region as well as parts of the east of the country.

About 140 flights to and from New Chitose Airport, the main air gateway to the northern main island of Hokkaido, were canceled at 9:30 a.m. local time, while Hokkaido Railway Co. suspended all train travel to and from JR Sapporo Station.

More than 970 train journeys were stopped in Sapporo and other areas of Hokkaido as of 10:50 am, accounting for more than 70 percent of the roughly 1,230 daily train services on average in the region.

More rail services may be affected, with areas near Sapporo expected to receive up to 50 centimeters of snow on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the capital Hokkaido has seen 11cm of snowfall in the 24 hours to 06:00 Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, reported Kyodo News February 21.

A traffic accident involving multiple vehicles occurred on the Hakodate-Esashi Expressway in Hokuto, Hokkaido, with seven people being rushed to hospital. One of them is feared dead, local rescue workers said.

Heavy snow and wind are believed to have created extremely poor visibility conditions, or power outages, at the site. Many vehicles were stranded on the toll road, officials said.

In Tobetsu, Hokkaido, an accident involving seven vehicles, including a tanker, left two people with minor injuries, local police said.

Separately, 70 cm of snow is projected in the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast in the 24 hours to 6 am Tuesday, while the Kanto-Koshin region in eastern and central Japan is expected to see a maximum of 50 cm of snowfall over the same period.