Weather officials in Japan are warning of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in coastal areas along the Sea of Japan.
A strong cold air mass brought a record snowfall of about 200 centimeters to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures from Tuesday to Thursday.
A broad swath of Japan is digging itself out from a massive snowfall. Weather officials are warning of slippery roads - and even avalanches - for areas stretching from Hokkaido down to western Japan.
Residents of a community north of Tokyo spent the morning clearing away a blanket of fresh snow. A record 128 centimeters of the white stuff fell over Minakami Town in a single day.
The season's most powerful cold air mass over Japan is bringing heavy snow to areas on the Sea of Japan coast from Hokkaido in the north and to the Chugoku region in the southwest. Weather officials are calling for caution against avalanches, icy roads, and traffic disruptions.
Snowfall in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning was 128 centimeters in Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture, and 113 centimeters in Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture -- both the heaviest 24-hour snowfalls on record.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the Japanese government will keep a close eye on developments regarding China's coast guard, including a planned legal revision outlining its responsibilities.
Kato told reporters on Thursday the government is committed to defending the lives and assets of the Japanese people, including fishing boats, as well as Japan's territorial waters and air space. He pledged to continue to monitor and patrol the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and deal calmly yet firmly with China.
Japan's Coast Guard has started testing an unmanned aircraft on Thursday to learn whether it can carry out key duties, including search and rescue and maritime surveillance.
US defense firm General Atomics developed the 12-meter-long drone, called the SeaGuardian. It has a wingspan of 24 meters.
The Japan Coast Guard is beginning test flights of an unmanned aerial vehicle to learn whether it can be utilized to carry out the coast guard's key duties, including search and rescue and maritime surveillance.
The flights, which will take place starting Thursday, are to be conducted off the coast of Sanriku in northeastern Japan, as well as along the coasts of the Sea of Japan.
A typhoon is now barreling toward Japan. Weather officials say it is just south of the country and is set to take a northeasterly path along the Pacific coast.
Meteorological Agency officials say Typhoon Chan-hom is unlikely to make landfall but is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain across wide areas.
A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a Taiwanese fishing boat were involved in a minor collision in Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
The coast guard says the incident took place shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
People along the Japanese Pacific coast are bracing for powerful winds and downpours. Severe Tropical Storm Dolphin is set to close in on eastern and northern Japan on Thursday or Friday.
The storm is currently in waters south of Tokyo and heading northeast.
Severe Tropical Storm Dolphin is now heading toward Japan and could affect eastern and northern Japan on Thursday or Friday. Weather officials are warning that the country's Pacific coast could be in store for powerful winds and heavy downpours.
The Meteorological Agency says the storm was 230 kilometers south-southwest of Hachijojima Island at noon Wednesday. It was moving northeast at about 20 kilometers per hour.
Japan's Pacific coast is expected to see powerful winds and heavy downpours as Severe Tropical Storm Dolphin approaches. The meteorological agency is warning of landslides and flooding in low-lying areas along the coast.
The agency says the storm was over waters south of Japan at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. It was moving north-northeast at about 15 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of over 108 kilometers per hour.
Japan's Pacific coast could be hit by heavy rains and strong winds from Severe Tropical Storm Dolphin later this week.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says that as of midday Tuesday, the storm was located over waters south of Japan, moving northward at 15 kilometers per hour.
A South Korean coast guard ship has ordered a Japanese coast guard vessel to end a survey it is conducting in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki.
The Japan Coast Guard, or JCG, says the South Korean ship radioed the demand shortly after 4 a.m. on Saturday when the Japanese vessel was engaged in a survey about 140 kilometers west of Meshima, an islet in Nagasaki's Goto Islands. The JCG says the waters are within Japan's EEZ.