• Heavy snowfall damages orchards and raises concerns for Japan’s 2026 apple harvest

    ByReet Kaur

    Heavy snowfall affecting Japan since late January 2026 has left at least 46 people dead and more than 550 injured while causing widespread agricultural damage across the Tohoku region and Niigata Prefecture. Snowfall reached 148 cm (58 inches) in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, in January, breaking branches in apple orchards, collapsing vinyl greenhouses, and burying farm roads that remain inaccessible in some areas. Authorities say the full extent of agricultural losses may not be known until snow cover recedes.

  • Heavy to record-breaking snowfall hitting Japan, including earthquake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture

    ByTeo Blašković

    A powerful M7.6 earthquake centered in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on January 1, 2024, was followed by intense snowfall a week later, creating very hard conditions for survivors and complicating rescue efforts. On January 8, authorities reported 161 fatalities caused by the earthquake and 305 people missing.