TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Soldiers and swarms of snow plows battled in Japan on Tuesday to clear record-breaking snowfalls that have buried some northern and western cities, as the death toll rose to 30 from winter storms.
Japan regularly receives some of the highest snowfall in the world, making it a top destination for winter sports, but this year’s bitter conditions could dent turnout in Sunday’s general elections, the first in 36 years scheduled in midwinter.
Troops from the Self-Defence Forces were drafted in to help authorities struggling to clear a nearly 2-m (7-ft) pileup of snow in the city of Aomori, the biggest seen in four decades.
About 1,000 snow plows began trying to push snow off 3,800 km (2,300 miles) of roads in Sapporo, the largest city in the Hokkaido region, broadcaster Nippon TV said.
The scale of this year’s snowfall temporarily closed Hokkaido’s main airport last week, stranding hundreds of passengers, while snarling other travel, delaying train services and forcing the closure of some highways.
More than 100 people have suffered serious injury nationwide in snow-related incidents since January 20, while 30 have died, figures from the disaster management agency show.
The agency did not specify the manner of death, but domestic media have reported falls from rooftops as people tried to clear away massive mounds.
(Reporting by Rikako Maruyama; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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