Heavy snowfall throughout Japan killed five people, disrupted holiday traffic and left thousands of residents without electricity. In the western prefecture of Fukui, where snow has piled up to more than 200 cm (78 inches) in some areas. Some of the heaviest snowfall on record for December has hit the country since last week, even in some southern prefectures that rarely see snow, but Tokyo has been spared. In the northern prefecture of Niigata, where as many as 650,000 homes and businesses suffered a blackout last week, about 1,100 households were left without electricity on Sunday due to the snow, Kyodo news agency said. The snow has also snarled train operations, including the high-speed bullet trains used by many Japanese to spend the holiday season back with their families. Some 23,000 passengers were affected by delays, Kyodo said.
