Tokyo-Sana
More than 230 domestic flights were canceled in Japan due to heavy snow in the north of the country.
"The runways for unsafe planes were closed for about three hours in the afternoon to clear the snow, causing the return of three flights to Narita Airport near Tokyo," Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
Cancellations at New Chitose Airport equate to 60 percent of flights arriving or leaving the airport in one day.
Some 160 trains, including an express service linking Sapporo with New Chitose Airport, were canceled while dozens of people were forced to spend the night on a train due to a number of trees falling on the railways.
Heavy snow is expected to continue in some areas of northern and eastern Japan until tomorrow, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
