Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on December 22nd, 2023. In today’s news, a bus and a car collided in Niigata due to slippery road conditions caused by snow. The accident occurred in the early morning of December 22nd in the Koyama area of Nishi-ku, Niigata City. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries, while the 9 passengers on the bus, including the driver, were unharmed. The police believe that the accident was caused by the car slipping on the snow-covered road.

In another incident, a truck overturned in Fukuoka due to icy road conditions. The accident took place before 4 a.m. on December 22nd on a prefectural road in Harada, Chikushino City. As a result of the accident, three vehicles, including the overturned truck, collided. Two people in one of the cars suffered minor injuries.

Moving on to weather news, the Japan Sea coast is experiencing heavy snowfall due to the influence of cold air. The amount of snowfall rapidly increased in Fukui and Toyama prefectures on the morning of December 22nd. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a weather advisory for significant heavy snow, warning of the possibility of major transportation disruptions. It is expected that there will be heavy snowfall in parts of the Japan Sea coast on December 23rd, so caution is advised for potential impacts on transportation.

Continuing with the weather, snowfall is intensifying on the Japan Sea coast. Toyama Prefecture is experiencing a rapid increase in snowfall, leading to consecutive announcements of significant heavy snow by the Japan Meteorological Agency. It is expected that there will be heavy snowfall in parts of the Japan Sea coast on Saturday, with potential impacts on transportation. For more details on the forecast, we turn to the weather commentary by Yasuhiro Hiyama, a meteorologist.

Shifting gears, the Fukui Regional Meteorological Observatory has issued a weather advisory for significant heavy snow in Fukui City. In the town of Tomoe, heavy snowfall of 36 centimeters was recorded in the six hours leading up to 6 a.m. The snow is expected to continue falling heavily tonight, and the observatory is urging caution for the possibility of major transportation disruptions.

In other news, Daihatsu Motor Co. will suspend operations at all its domestic automobile factories from next week due to the certification irregularities issue. The company is considering compensation for the parts manufacturers with whom it has direct transactions, but the impact is expected to extend to approximately 8,000 companies nationwide, including indirect subcontractors, with unavoidable effects on the regional economy.

Lastly, the Toyama Regional Meteorological Observatory has issued a weather advisory for significant heavy snow in Nyuzen Town. In Ueno, Nyuzen, 20 centimeters of significant snowfall was observed in the three hours leading up to 2 a.m. Heavy snow is expected to continue falling in the morning, and the observatory is warning of major transportation disruptions in the northern flatlands of eastern Toyama Prefecture. A weather advisory for significant heavy snow was also issued in Kawase, Nanto City at 12:47 a.m.

That’s all for today’s news. Thank you for listening to Japan Daily News. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be mostly clear with temperatures ranging from 5 to 8 degrees Celsius. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.