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Courtesy of the Hirosaki municipal government The Hitsuji-Saru Yagura tower of Hirosaki Castle, which has been hit and damaged by a snow-covered tree that fell, is seen on Sunday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
15:22 JST, January 8, 2025
AOMORI — Heavy snow has killed four people and caused much other damage in Aomori Prefecture due to a strong cold front that hit Japan at the year-end and New Year holiday.
According to the Aomori prefectural police, there were four snow-related deaths in 2025 as of Monday evening in four municipalities, including Hirosaki and Towada. The victims apparently died while removing snow from the roof.
On Monday, the prefecture applied the Disaster Relief Law to 10 municipalities, including the city of Aomori. This is the first time in 13 years, or since 2012, that the prefecture has applied the law to cope with a snow disaster.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, on Sunday the snow was measured to be 139 centimeters deep in Aomori, 3.65 times deeper than an average year, while Hirosaki saw 115 centimeters, 3.7 times deeper than the average year.
At Hirosaki Park in Hirosaki, part of Hirosaki Castle’s Hitsuji-Saru Yagura tower, an important cultural property of the country, was damaged by a tree that fell under the weight of snow. About 20 trees in the park, including cherry and pine trees, fell because of the snow.
The prefecture set up a task force to deal with the heavy snow on Saturday and decided to apply the law to stop the spread of further damage. With this move, municipalities removing snow from houses feared to collapse or be isolated will have the expenses paid for by the central government and the prefecture.
Cold front on Sea of Japan side
Due to a strong winter pressure pattern, extremely cold air is moving over Japan, which could cause heavy snow on the Sea of Japan side of the country from Wednesday to Friday, which may grow into blizzards and warning-level snowfalls. There is concern that snow will increasingly accumulate in a short period of time, particularly on the Sea of Japan side in northern and eastern Japan.
The agency is calling for vigilance against snow-caused traffic hazards, snow on power lines and avalanches.
