Tokyo and its surrounding areas were hit by heavy snow Thursday which disrupted traffic and prompted the Meteorological Agency to issue the capital a heavy snow warning -- its first in two years.The snowfall played havoc with Tokyo's highly organized transportation system, forcing train delays in several areas and flight cancellations to and from the city's Haneda airport. In Otemachi, the heart of Tokyo's business district, snow measuring 11 cm deep was registered as of 10 p.m. late Thursday. It is the first time in two years the capital has received more than 10 cm.So far, traffic accidents and other incidents caused by the bad weather have reportedly injured more than 200 people. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, the Tokyo Police Department said more than 120 traffic accidents had occurred.In the seas south of Shikoku, an area of low pressure is being monitored that may bring even more snow to the Tokyo area, according to the agency. In Nagano, the venue for this year's winter Olympics, snow measured 28 cm deep.About 50 cm is expected to fall in mountainous areas of Kanagawa Prefecture, with 20 cm to 30 cm projected for Kanto-Koshin. The precipitation is expected to peak late Thursday night and drop 10 cm to 20 cm on Tokyo's 23 wards by morning, the agency warned.
