Dozens dead after record snow in Japan – and officials warn warmer weather will be treacherous

The Guardian - World NewsEN 2 min read 100% complete by Justin McCurryin Tokyo and agenciesFebruary 6, 2026 at 05:02 AM

Dozens dead after record snow in Japan – and officials warn warmer weather will be treacherous

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Record snowfall in northern Japan since late January has resulted in 35 deaths and nearly 400 injuries, primarily due to people falling while removing snow. The heavy snowfall, reaching depths of 6.5 feet in some areas, has disrupted transportation, left thousands without power, and hampered emergency services in 15 prefectures. Among the fatalities were two Australians who died in separate skiing accidents. Officials are urging continued vigilance as warmer temperatures could lead to further accidents as the snow melts. The areas near the Sea of Japan have been particularly affected due to cold air masses from the Arctic.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Minoru Kiha 40% Japan's Ministry of Defense 40% Arctic 50% Aomori prefecture ×250% Soichiro Miyashita ×250% Niigata prefecture 50% Hokkaido 60% Nagano prefecture 60% Sea of Japan 60% Michael Hurst 70% Brooke Day 70% Japan ×490%

Keywords

heavy snowfall 90% snow-related deaths 80% japan 70% record snow 70% winter weather 60% accidents 50% ski resort 40% emergency services 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Japan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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heavy snowfall snow-related deaths japan record snow winter weather accidents ski resort emergency services

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