By SCM ONLINE REPORTER
Published: February 3, 2026
JAPAN has been gripped by a deadly “white hell” as record-breaking snowfall has claimed at least 30 lives and left hundreds more injured, forcing the government to deploy the army.
In scenes resembling a disaster movie, entire towns have been swallowed by drifts as high as 15 feet. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called an emergency cabinet meeting today, ordering ministers to do “everything in their power” to save lives as the nation struggles to dig itself out.
Among the tragic victims was a 91-year-old woman, Kina Jin, who was discovered buried under a massive 10-foot pile of snow outside her home in Ajigasawa. Police believe she was crushed and suffocated when a mountain of snow slid off her own roof while she was trying to clear a path with an aluminum shovel.
The crisis is so severe that Governor Soichiro Miyashita has officially called in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force for the first time in 21 years.
Soldiers have been seen digging “trenches” through the snow just so residents can leave their homes.
The military’s main mission is to rescue the elderly—many of whom are trapped inside their houses—and to clear roofs before they collapse under the sheer weight of the ice.
”The danger to life is imminent,” Governor Miyashita warned. “Buildings are at risk of collapsing and the snow is falling from roofs like lethal weights.”
The carnage began on January 20, and the toll has risen rapidly: 30 People Confirmed Dead: Many victims were pensioners who fell from roofs or were swept away in icy drainage waterways.
324 Injured: Dozens are in serious condition following accidents with snow-clearing machinery.
Record Accumulation: Aomori City recorded over 6 feet of snow—the highest in 40 years—while remote areas are buried under 15 feet.
With more snow forecast and a snap general election scheduled for this Sunday, officials fear the chaos could prevent thousands from reaching the ballot boxes. Transport has ground to a halt, with schools shuttered and trains cancelled across the worst-hit northern prefectures of Niigata and Aomori.
The current crisis is the result of a powerful “winter pressure pattern” and a massive cold air mass moving across the Sea of Japan.
While Japan is used to heavy winters, the 2026 season has seen snowfall reach double and triple the annual averages in less than two weeks. This “Sea of Japan side” snow occurs when cold Siberian winds pick up moisture over the sea and dump it as heavy, wet snow on the Japanese mountains.
The weight of this “wet snow” is significantly heavier than typical powder, leading to the high number of roof collapses and fatal falls reported this year.
