On December 31, the landslide hit the city of Tsuruoka and destroyed 10 buildings, some of which were empty. At the time of the landslide, 22 people lived in the area, 18 of whom were not injured, and two more were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Two more residents — an elderly couple — remained under the rubble, after which a search and rescue operation was launched.
The man and woman were found on Monday morning with no signs of life, media reported.
According to the report, their deaths were later confirmed by doctors, with traumatic shock listed as the cause of death.