A strong cold air mass intensified relentless snowfall on Friday in parts of Japan, including prefectures of Fukushima, Hokkaido and Niigata, grappling people with blizzards and resulting in road blockages and significant agricultural damage.
In Fukushima, the continuous snowstorm has overwhelmed snow removal efforts, leaving many roads impassable. With plows struggling to keep up, locals have taken matters into their own hands to clear the snow themselves.
"The weather this year has been quite different from previous years. The snow has been falling continuously, and the accumulation has already reached three times the usual amount. Snowplows are unable to get through, so the people in town have taken it upon themselves to remove the snow. Many cars are stuck in the snow, and people get out of their vehicles to help push them out," said a resident.
"The roads are full of potholes, making it very dangerous for commuters and schoolchildren to walk. We hope that the roads will be repaired in stages as soon as possible," said another resident.
The agricultural sector has also been hit hard, particularly in Aizuwakamatsu, a major strawberry-growing region in Fukushima. Collapsed greenhouses caused by the heavy snow have left farmers with no crops to harvest.
"It has been snowing since Feb 4, and we've been clearing snow every night until late. Due to the heavy snowfall from the night of Feb 6 to the morning of Feb 7, the greenhouses suddenly collapsed. As a result, we're unable to harvest the strawberries," said a farmer.
Heavy snow continues affecting Fukushima, disrupting daily life, damaging agriculture
China will unveil its latest achievements in deep space exploration, commercial space activities, and research on lunar samples at the launch ceremony of the main events of Space Day, according to China National Space Administration (CNSA) in Beijing on Friday.
April 24 marks the 11th Space Day of China.
The main events for the occasion, including a launch ceremony, a series of space science popularization exhibitions, and a space culture and arts forum, will be held in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Concurrent activities will also include the China Space Conference, space science popularization programs in schools, and technical exchanges.
The launch ceremony will be held in the morning of April 24, during which a promotional video and theme song will be released, along with major announcements regarding the space sector.
"At the space science popularization exhibition, lunar samples collected from both the near side and far side of the Moon by Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6, respectively, will be displayed side by side. The large-scale space VR (virtual reality) science popularization and science fiction show Footprints in the Stars: Rendezvous on the Lunar Far Side will also invite public participation. The launch ceremony will also feature the release of a series of major announcements, including the latest achievements in deep space exploration, commercial space activities, and research on lunar samples collected by Chang'e-5," said Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the CNSA's system engineering department, at a press conference on the upcoming Space Day of China.
More than 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country will host activities such as space open houses, science popularization lectures, knowledge competitions, and exchange and discussion sessions to mark the Space Day.
Outstanding space-themed films and television programs, including Missions to the Moon - China's first documentary on its lunar exploration - will be broadcast in succession.
Space Day events to spotlight China's latest space exploration feats in Chengdu
