The Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued an emergency announcement, stating that heavy snowfall will occur around the 9th and 10th, which may cause traffic disruptions. Takuya Hosomi, Director of the Weather Monitoring and Warning Center of the Japan Meteorological Agency, said, "Around Friday the 10th, strong cold air will flow into the skies over Japan, creating a strong winter-type atmospheric pressure pattern. Snowfall will continue mainly on the Sea of ​​Japan side of Honshu, and heavy snow may occur even on flat land." Kentaro Nishizawa, Director of the Disaster Prevention Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said, "There is a risk of vehicles being stranded, road closures, and significant delays or suspension of public transportation. Please refrain from going out unless it is absolutely necessary. Please also consider changing your plans." It seems that heavy snow is possible in some areas on the flat land on the Pacific side. On the 8th, Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, saw the heaviest snowfall this winter. Shigeo Nishiyama (81) was carefully clearing snow around his house. He starts the snowplow to ensure that cars can pass through. Nishiyama's house was partially destroyed by the earthquake. The couple has repaired the house and continues to live there, but the scars remain. The snow that keeps piling up is making them more and more anxious. Nishiyama Shigeo: "I'm worried, but I don't know for sure. If there are young people, we can count on them, but getting rid of the snow is the hardest part, it's hard work." The strongest cold wave of the season has flowed into the archipelago, and even as far north as Hokkaido, snowplows are plowing through the snow. On the 8th, in Iwamizawa City, two men who were working on snow removal fell from a roof. The two were buried under the snow and were dug out by their colleagues, but one of them was taken to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest. On the 8th, a strong cold front covered the archipelago, causing heavy snowfall mainly in the Hokuriku region, but the snowfall is starting to increase in a wide area, including Western Japan. In Gifu Prefecture, more than 50 centimeters of snow fell in one day in some places. Regarding Gifu, the Meteorological Agency has also urged caution, naming the prefecture. On the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, snow removal has been ongoing since the new year, but due to the snow, some sections have been closed in both directions. According to NEXCO Central Japan, there is no prospect of recovery. Aomori has already been hit by heavy snowfall of disaster-level severity. This has also affected the delivery of kerosene, which is essential at this time of year. I stretched the fuel hose as far as it could go and climbed the wall of snow that was taller than me. Up ahead was a fuel tank. Daisuke Maeda of Coop Aomori Hirosaki Kerosene Center: "There are a lot of places like this. There are quite a lot. Some tanks are buried in snow. Some tanks are no longer visible." They are responding by extending their delivery hours by four hours from usual, but they are still unable to keep up with the requests. A taxi company in Aomori City. They can no longer accept reservations with a specified time. There were spare vehicles in the garage because some drivers could not come to work due to the snow. In order to protect the taxis that are still in operation, the company has set up a rescue team as part of its own initiative. There was a call for deployment on the 8th as well. When we rushed to the scene, we found that our company's taxi was stuck. Ichinohe Hiroyasu of Growth Taxi: "I think this year's snow is disaster-level. I hope that (the government) will invest in people and equipment to create a system that allows snow removal to be completed as quickly as possible 24 hours a day." Mutsu Bay just after dawn. Dump trucks continued to dump snow into the sea throughout the night so as not to impede daytime traffic. Dump truck driver: "(Q. You keep dumping snow all the time) Yes, it feels like you can't keep up. (Q. Snow removal in residential areas) We're doing the main roads, so we're at our limit right now." Some drivers come to dump snow more than 80 times in half a day. Dump truck driver: "I'm already at the peak of fatigue. I don't have any days off at all. (Q. What is lacking) There is definitely a shortage of manpower." [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp