NAGANO (Kyodo) A Ground Self-Defense Force unit in Nagano Prefecture was dispatched Saturday to help deal with heavy snowfall as the Meteorological Agency warned that snow will continue blanketing northern and western Japan.
By 5 p.m., more people were confirmed to have died due to snow-related incidents, bringing the death toll to 63 across 16 prefectures since the snow season began in early December, according to a Kyodo News tally based on reports from authorities. The number of people injured came to 1,040 in 28 prefectures.
Public transportation was affected, with the Joetsu Shinkansen Line suspending operations temporarily and the Tokaido Shinkansen Line experiencing delays, affecting some 130,000 people.
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