Heavy snow in northern Japan blocks roads and causes dozens of deaths

TOKYO (AP) — Heavy snow piling up in northern Japan in the last two weeks has blocked roads and is being blamed for dozens of deaths nationwide.

As of Wednesday, 15 prefectures have been affected, with snow reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in worst-hit areas. The unusually heavy snowfall is largely due to a cold air mass from the Arctic that has lingered over the Japanese archipelago.

More than 1,700 homes were without electricity, and most train lines weren’t running, including the bullet trains, according to Aomori prefecture.

“We anticipate some roads might get blocked off, and so we are consulting with services that can help with ambulances and fire trucks to get through to their destinations,” Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita told reporters Wednesday.

Emergency vehicles that weren’t able to get to their destinations had parked nearby, and medical staff gone on foot with stretchers to rescue people in need, he said.

Miyashita said he was asking the city of Aomori to try to clear the main roads of snow, implying that the city is falling behind others. Schools in Aomori were shut, affecting thousands of schoolchildren, he added.

Most of the 35 deaths and hundreds of injuries reported across Japan were caused by falls among people trying to clear their homes of snow.

Twelve of the snow-related fatalities were reported in Niigata prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, including a man who was found collapsed on the roof of his home in Uonuma city on Jan. 21. In Nagaoka city, a 70-year-old is believed to have died after falling from his roof, according to the Niigata government.

Japan’s chief government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, warned that although the weather was getting warmer, more danger could lie ahead because snow would start melting, resulting in landslides and slippery surfaces.

Injuries nationwide numbered 393, including 126 serious injuries, 42 of them in Niigata. Fourteen homes were damaged, three in Niigata and eight in Aomori prefecture.

More heavy snow is forecast for the coming weekend in northern Japan.

Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report. She is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

People walk in a snow in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 23, 2026. (Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP)

A person walks in a snow in Nagaoka, Niigata prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 22, 2026. (Chiaki Ueda/Kyodo News via AP)

People clear snow near houses in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

People clear snow near a building in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Yup, she wore something blue.

Zendaya, surprising precisely nobody on the planet, showed up in dazzling blue at Thursday’s New York premiere of “The Drama,” after teasing the bridal theme for weeks by wearing something old, then something new, then something borrowed.

Her strapless Schiaparelli Haute Couture ball gown, accompanied by sapphire earrings, completed the sartorial series just in time for the opening of her movie — a film that has attracted considerable controversy and mixed reviews. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple whose wedding plans go seriously awry following a dark revelation.

The high-fashion appearances have also echoed the bridal theme of Zendaya’s own life, with unconfirmed speculation flying — fed in part by rings she’s been wearing — that she’s already married to partner Tom Holland.

The actor and her stylist, Law Roach, saved the most spectacular outfit for last. Schiaparelli posted on its own Instagram ​​that the gown, which took some 8,000 hours of work, was made of blue and black raw silk “feathers” in satin stitch embroidery, and contained 27 shades of blue.

“Something old” came in Los Angeles on March 17, where Zendaya wore the same white, off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood Bridal gown that she’d worn to the 2015 Oscars.

She transitioned to “something new” at the March 24 Paris premiere — a white custom Louis Vuitton gown with a huge black bow and train.

“Something borrowed” came two days later in Rome, a black Armani Privé dress previously worn by Cate Blanchett, with a plunging neckline framed with stones.

Finally on Thursday, Zendaya completed the circle. “SomethingBlue,” posted Roach.

In case nobody had noticed.

Zendaya attends "The Drama" Premiere, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Actress Zendaya poses for photographers as she arrives for the Italian premiere of the movie "The Drama," in Rome, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Zendaya attends a special screening of "The Drama" at Regal Union Square on Thursday, April 2, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)