Snow-buried Niigata asks for troops | The Japan Times Online

NIIGATA (Kyodo) Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida on Wednesday asked the Ground Self-Defense Force to dispatch troops to a city buried in snow, saying the danger of avalanches is increasing as temperatures rise.

The GSDF is expected to dispatch a team from Camp Takada in the city of Joetsu to the city of Uonuma, both in Niigata Prefecture, where more than 4 meters of snow have accumulated.