News On Japan

Severe weather continues in northern Japan, heavy snow forecast

SAPPORO - Unstable weather conditions continue in northern Japan on Wednesday morning, with further snowfall expected in Hokkaido and Tohoku by Thursday morning, Nov 30.

A strong cold air mass is currently moving across the Japanese archipelago, creating wintery atmospheric pressure patterns.

Northern Japan and the Hokuriku region are experiencing a combination of snow and rain, along with instances of extreme weather marked by winds approaching 30 meters in velocity.

The amount of snowfall in a 12-hour period has reached 25 centimeters in locations including Washinoucho in Hokkaido and Nishiwaga Town in Iwate Prefecture, and 16 centimeters in Suka-no-yu in Aomori Prefecture, with heavy snowfall primarily affecting the Japan Sea side.

Wild weather is expected to continue, with forecasts of 50 centimeters of snow in Tohoku and 40 centimeters in Hokkaido by Thursday morning, Nov 30.

Heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions may lead to transportation disruptions and power outages, so caution is advised.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Plans to bring Shinkansen service to Shikoku have taken a significant step forward for the first time in 53 years, with the transport ministry beginning preliminary studies that could eventually cut travel times from Osaka to major cities including Tokushima, Takamatsu and Matsuyama to around 90 minutes.

Tokyo is preparing to allow hunting of Asian black bears for the first time in about 20 years, with a proposed hunting season from November through February and an annual capture target of around 34 animals in parts of the Tama region, including Hachioji.

Typhoon No. 18 (Soudelor) formed near the Truk Islands on August 19 and is forecast to strengthen as it gradually turns northwest, potentially approaching the Ogasawara Islands before moving toward Okinawa or the Pacific coast of western Japan.

After 10 p.m., the clouds that had covered the sky above Shirakoma Pond gradually began to clear, revealing countless stars and the Milky Way rising vividly over the mountain lake in Nagano Prefecture's Northern Yatsugatake range.

A fire broke out at Sairinji temple in Saga city on the morning of August 18, engulfing the building in flames and prompting the dispatch of 10 fire engines and two ambulances, with no injuries reported so far.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Handheld fans have become a summer essential in Japan, but a rise in accidents involving hair becoming caught in the devices is prompting warnings over injuries, potential legal liability and fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.

Seven people were injured after a Toei bus and a trailer collided in Tokyo's Koto Ward shortly after 6 p.m., leaving the bus mounted on a central median.

Police are investigating after a custom-made chili pepper-shaped lantern worth more than 200,000 yen was smashed outside a restaurant in Kyoto's Gion district, with security camera footage capturing a person striking and destroying the shop's distinctive symbol.

A fire broke out at Sairinji temple in Saga city on the morning of August 18, engulfing the building in flames and prompting the dispatch of 10 fire engines and two ambulances, with no injuries reported so far.

Princess Aiko attended the opening ceremony of an international conference on semiconductor physics on the morning of August 17, expressing condolences for those killed in the Kumamoto earthquake and torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture before addressing researchers from around the world.

A 77-year-old man charged with attempted murder has gone missing after apparently leaving a hospital in Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he had been admitted for medical treatment, prompting prosecutors and police to search for him.

A 77-year-old hunter from Sunagawa, Hokkaido, who won a Supreme Court ruling overturning the revocation of his firearms license, filed a damages lawsuit against the national government and Hokkaido on August 17 after discovering that one of four seized hunting rifles had been destroyed years earlier without being returned to him.

A 12-year-old British girl who disappeared while visiting Japan with her family was found safe in Yokohama on Saturday night, about 59 hours after leaving their private lodging in Tokyo, with police saying there was no indication that she had been involved in a crime.