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Heavy snowfall in Kanazawa in the center of the country
Photo: KYODO / REUTERS
In Japan, heavy snowfalls have killed 17 people in the past ten days.
As the government announced, dozens of other people have also been injured since December 17.
According to the authorities, thousands of households were without electricity.
Among the dead were a man who fell from a roof while clearing snow and a woman who was found in a car suspected of having carbon monoxide poisoning, national broadcaster NHK reported.
It had snowed heavily in the past few days, especially in the west of the country and in the northern region of Hokkaido.
In some areas, such as the town of Oguni in the northeastern Yamagata region, almost a meter of snow fell within 24 hours, according to local media.
The Japanese weather agency had urged residents of the affected regions to avoid traveling as much as possible after cars got stuck on snow-covered roads.
kha/AFP/AP