The world’s largest car manufacturer Toyota is suspending the second shift at all 14 locations in Japan today. Heavy snowfalls across the country have interrupted production at the plants, the company said. Normal operations are scheduled to resume tomorrow.
One death reported
The snowfall also caused one death and severe traffic disruption. Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said today one person died from the cold. Two other deaths are still being investigated to see if they are related to the onset of winter.
Cold records in several places
Large parts of the country lay under a blanket of snow today. Cold records were measured in several places. The temperature in an area in southern Kumamoto Prefecture fell to minus nine degrees, the lowest since records began in 1977.
Hundreds of flights were canceled due to snowstorms, and there were numerous delays and cancellations in local and national train services. According to local media, vehicles were stranded on several main roads. Temperatures were among the lowest in the past decade, Japan’s weather agency said.
