Heavy snowfall in Japan triggers power outages, isolates communities

Heavy snowfall in central Japan and along the northern coast isolated communities and cut off power to about 10,000 households, prompting the government to call an emergency meeting on Thursday to address the fallout.

The heavy snowfall was centred on Niigata and Gunma prefectures, which saw about 2 metres (6.6 feet) of snow over three days, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was set to attend the emergency meeting with relevant ministries and agencies on Thursday afternoon, his office said.