Parts of Japan blanketed by thick snow during strongest cold front for years

Heavy machinery clears snow following heavy snowfall in Obihiro, Hokkaido, northern Japan Photograph: Jiji Press/EPA

Large parts of Japan have been blanketed with snow, as the lowest temperatures this winter disrupted rail and air travel, amid warnings that more heavy snowfall was expected through the weekend.

Residents struggled to dig out cars that had been buried by snow in just a few hours, with the meteorological agency describing the cold front as the “strongest in several years”.