 Schools have been closed and transport halted in some areas |
Japanese soldiers have been trying to clear heavy snow in the country's north after cold weather killed at least 70 people. Soldiers used bulldozers to clear roads and shovels to clear roofs.
Two neighbourhoods - Tsunan in central Niigata prefecture, and Sakaemura in neighbouring Nagano prefecture - have been cut off for two days.
Worst-hit areas saw Japan's heaviest snowfall on record, with drifts more than three metres (10ft) deep.
"We've got so much snow we don't even have the space to pile up the snow that's being ploughed away," a teacher in one of the isolated towns told public broadcaster NHK.
Many of the casualties have been elderly people who have fallen from their roofs while trying to clear them of snow, or have been crushed by their homes collapsing under the weight.
Kyodo news agency says 14 areas have been affected across Japan.
Niigata and Nagano prefectures, north-west of Tokyo, are among the hardest-hit.
The Japan Meteorological Agency expects another 40-60 cm (1-2 feet) of snowfall in the area facing the Sea of Japan before 0600 on Wednesday (2100 GMT Tuesday).
One-Minute World News 
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