Japan snow storms leave eight dead and hundreds injured

Japan has been hit by severe winter storms, with eight dead and hundreds injured as a result of the heavy snow.

The west coast was particularly affected with regions of Niigata, Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama all facing disruption.

Heavy snowfall is not unusual in these regions, especially in the mountains, but cold air moving across the country has meant that heavy snow fell at sea level where snow does not usually settle in this quantity