Heavy snow in Tokyo injures 400, paralyses traffic

The season's first snowfall blanketed Tokyo and its vicinity on Monday, injuring hundreds of people, disrupting traffic, and stranding the youth attending Coming-of-Age ceremonies. As of 8 pm (1100 GMT), at least 400 people in the Japanese capital and prefectures sustained snow-related injuries, according to public broadcaster NHK. Some 675 flights were cancelled, mainly at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, where two of the four runways were temporarily closed due to work to remove snow, NHK said. East Japan Railway Company suspended all services on two lines between Tokyo and neighboring prefectures. Parts of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway network some expressways linking the capital and neighboring prefectures were also closed. Heavy snowfall in Tokyo began in the morning, and the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that as much as 50 centimeters of snow is expected in the region by Tuesday morning. Japan's financial markets and most schools were closed for traditional Coming-of-Age Day, a national holiday for people who have turned or will turn 20 before April. 2. About 1.2 million people received invitations to this year's ceremonies across the country.