5killed as Train hit flight service in Japan. more details

Nagoya Castle is seen covered with snow in Nagoya, central Japan. Photo: Reuters A violent snowstorm in northern Japan kills five people and disrupts transport on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Train and flight services have also been hit due to snowstorm. Services between the island's capital, Sapporo, and other parts of the country remained suspended, as were the trains in northwestern Honshu. More than a 100 domestic flights, mostly originating in Hokkaido, were cancelled on Thursday.

Over 1,200 schools in the prefecture remained closed, along with a number of highways and roads.

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said two powerful low-pressure fronts have been present near Hokkaido and to the north of Honshu island since Wednesday, resulting in heavy snowfall and strong winds.

It could be one of the worst storms to hit the northern Japanese archipelago in recent years with up to 120 cm of snow in some areas and winds that could reach 160 kmph, the agency warned.

Authorities have evacuated around 150 people stranded by the snow, while close to 20,000 homes remained without electricity on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hokkaido Electric Power utility said.

The JMA issued an alert for northern, central and western Japan on account of strong winds and intense snowfall and warned of the risk of avalanches, landslides and floods.