Japan: Heavy Snow Triggers Building Collapses in Niigata

Across Niigata Prefecture, multiple structures collapsed due to heavy snowfall between Monday, February 2 and Tuesday, February 3, leaving two people in critical condition. This video shows a house in the Hanazono area of Nagaoka City that is believed to have collapsed under the weight of snow. As of February 3, snow accumulation in Nagaoka had reached about 1.4 meters, roughly 2.6 times the seasonal average.

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (C, L) and Crown Princess Kiko (C, R) meet winners of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science prize and the Japan Academy Medal following an award ceremony in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2026. (Pool photo)

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (C, L) and Crown Princess Kiko (C, R) meet winners of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science prize and the Japan Academy Medal following an award ceremony in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2026. (Pool photo)

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese crown prince at award ceremony

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito (front, 2nd from R) and Crown Princess Kiko (front, far R) meet winners of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science prize and the Japan Academy Medal following an award ceremony in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2026. (Pool photo)

Rugby: Japan head coach Jones

Rugby: Japan head coach Jones

Japan rugby head coach Eddie Jones speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2026, after 2027 Rugby World Cup organizers announced Japan's first match against Samoa will be held in Newcastle, Australia, on Oct. 3.

Rugby: Japan head coach Jones

Rugby: Japan head coach Jones

Japan rugby head coach Eddie Jones speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2026, after 2027 Rugby World Cup organizers announced Japan's first match against Samoa will be held in Newcastle, Australia, on Oct. 3.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Riku Miura (L) of Japan chats with her pair partner Ryuichi Kihara during an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

U.S. military parachute drill

U.S. military parachute drill

A member of the U.S. Air Force conducts a parachute drill at Kadena air base in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on Feb. 3, 2026.

U.S. military parachute drill

U.S. military parachute drill

A member of the U.S. Air Force conducts a parachute drill at Kadena air base in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on Feb. 3, 2026.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (front) of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (front L) of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (front) of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (L) of Japan chats with Han Mei of China during a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (L) of Japan chats with Han Mei of China during a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi (front L) of Japan chats with coach Johan de Wit (front R) during a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

Miho Takagi of Japan takes part in a training session for speed skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Heavy snow in Aomori

Heavy snow in Aomori

People remove snow near a house in Aomori, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 2, 2026, as heavy snow continues to hit the region.

Heavy snow in Aomori

Heavy snow in Aomori

People remove snow near a house in Aomori, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 2, 2026, as heavy snow continues to hit the region.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan takes part in an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Milan Cortina Olympics

Milan Cortina Olympics

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan is pictured during an official training session for figure skating in Milan on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Bean-throwing event in Kyoto

Bean-throwing event in Kyoto

Maiko traditional Japanese entertainers scatter roasted beans during a Setsubun bean-throwing event at Yasaka shrine in Kyoto, western Japan, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Bean-throwing event in Kyoto

Bean-throwing event in Kyoto

Maiko traditional Japanese entertainers scatter roasted beans during a Setsubun bean-throwing event at Yasaka shrine in Kyoto, western Japan, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Japan: Smoke Fills Hatchobori Station in Tokyo, Trains Suspended

Smoke was reported at JR Hatchobori Station on the Keiyo Line in Tokyo on Monday evening, February 2, prompting a suspension of services between Tokyo and Shin-Kiba stations. Passengers were guided outside after smoke was seen rising from an escalator connecting the platform and concourse, and entry to the station was restricted as smoke filled the premises.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Ryo Hisatsune of Japan makes a birdie putt on the first hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Ryo Hisatsune of Japan makes a birdie putt on the first hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Ryo Hisatsune of Japan makes a birdie putt on the first hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Ryo Hisatsune of Japan hits the second tee during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Ryo Hisatsune of Japan hits out of a bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits off the second tee during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits off the second tee during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament on Feb. 1, 2026, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.

Emergency contraceptive pills

Emergency contraceptive pills

Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2026, shows a card placed on a pharmacy shelf in Tokyo for women to buy NorLevo emergency contraceptive pills as Japan begins over-the-counter sales of them without age restrictions.

Emergency contraceptive pills

Emergency contraceptive pills

Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2026, at a pharmacy in Tokyo shows a package (L) containing a single NorLevo emergency contraceptive pill and cards for buying them as Japan begins over-the-counter sales of the pill without age restrictions.

Emergency contraceptive pills

Emergency contraceptive pills

Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2026, at a pharmacy in Tokyo shows a package (L) containing a single NorLevo emergency contraceptive pill and cards for buying them as Japan begins over-the-counter sales of the pill without age restrictions.

Emergency contraceptive pills

Emergency contraceptive pills

Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2026, at a pharmacy in Tokyo shows a package of NorLevo emergency contraceptive pills as Japan begins over-the-counter sales of them without age restrictions.

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Kokomo Murase of Japan poses with the bronze medal she won in the women's snowboard big air event at the Beijing Olympics during a medal ceremony in Beijing on Feb. 15, 2022.

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Japan's Kokomo Murase performs en route to winning the women's big air at the snowboard world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on March 26, 2025.

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Snowboarding: Kokomo Murase

Japan's Kokomo Murase performs en route to winning the women's big air at the snowboard world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on March 26, 2025.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Nozomi Maruyama of Japan is pictured after finishing her second jump at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Nozomi Maruyama of Japan poses for a photo after winning silver at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Nozomi Maruyama (C) of Japan poses for a photo with members of the Japanese team, after winning silver at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

(From L) Nozomi Maruyama of Japan, Eirin Maria Kvandal of Norway and Nika Prevc of Slovakia pose on the podium after respectively winning silver, gold and bronze at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Nozomi Maruyama of Japan competes en route to winning silver at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Ski jumping: World Cup in Germany

Nozomi Maruyama of Japan poses for a photo after winning silver at a World Cup women's ski jumping event in Willingen, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2026.