Heavy snow has brought traffic chaos to much of north-west Japan, with hundreds of vehicles stuck on blocked highways.
"The Government will do its utmost to rescue anyone who is stuck in their vehicle," the government's top spokesman, chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato, said at a regular briefing.
Self-Defence Force troops were delivering food, petrol and blankets, and helping to clear snow.
Fire service crews rescued some drivers, including at least three people who were taken to hospital, according to public broadcaster NHK.
As highway workers in hard-hit areas such as Niigata prefecture cleared deep snow, the Meteorological Agency warned of heavier snow over the weekend along the Sea of Japan coast.
Some places are bracing for as much as 80 centimetres of snow amid a cold snap that has affected much of the country.
The snow began on Wednesday and has also left more than 10,000 homes in the north and west of Japan without power.
Source: ANNnewsCH
