Severe snowfall has been hitting northern and western Japan since December 17. Many people have died or got injured after falling from the roof, while removing snow, or getting buried underneath snow sliding off rooftops.
Winter storm has continued through Monday, with snow piling up higher than 160 centimeters (5.2 feet) in some areas.
Heavy snow has led to power outages across the country, leaving around 1,000 households in the prefecture of Niigata alone without power for over a week.