TOKYO, Jan 19 (NHK) - Japanese weather officials say heavy snow is expected in mountainous areas of the Kanto-Koshin region from Saturday through Sunday. They say snow may also accumulate in the southern part of the Kanto plain where Tokyo is located.

The Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system accompanied by a front is moving along the southern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu.

Officials say that in the Kanto-Koshin region, snow or rain will start to fall from Saturday afternoon, and heavy snow may mainly fall on or close to mountains through Sunday. Snow may also accumulate in the southern part of the Kanto plain.

In the 24 hours through Sunday morning, up to 20 to 40 centimeters of snowfall is forecast for mountainous areas of northern Kanto, the Koshin region and the area extending from Hakone through the Tama and Chichibu regions.

Up to 10 to 20 centimeters is forecast for low-lying areas of northern Kanto, and five to 10 centimeters for the flatlands of southern Kanto.

The agency says if temperatures are lower than expected, alert-level snowfall may hit mountainous areas and snow may even accumulate in central Tokyo. It is advising people to stay updated with the latest weather information.