UPDATE2: 1 Woman Killed, 26 Injured in Pileup Involving More Than 50 Cars on Kan-Etsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:03 JST, December 27, 2025

MAEBASHI — A woman was killed, and 26 others were injured in a pileup involving more than 50 cars on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, on Friday night. The expressway has been closed between the Yuzawa Interchange in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, and the Tsukiyono Interchange in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, due to the accident.

According to local police, a passerby called at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday to report a car accident on the northbound route of the Kan-Etsu Expressway near the Minakami Interchange.

Police reported that at least 16 cars burned in the pileup, killing a 77-year-old woman from Chofu, Tokyo and injuring 26, including five who sustained serious injuries. At the time of the accident, the road was covered with packed snow.