Heavy snow fell Saturday in areas already blanketed by record amounts of snow for December, particularly along the Sea of Japan coast, causing avalanches and snarling transportation.
By evening, four people had died in snow-related accidents, three in Fukui Prefecture and one in Shimane Prefecture.
A 72-year-old man in Katsuyama died after being buried under part of a textile factory that collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, police said.
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