Heavy snowfall across Japan has killed 17 people over the past 10 days, with thousands of homes suffering power outages, media reports said.

Local media in Japan reported that a few areas have seen almost a meter of snowfall in a 24-hour period, including the town of Oguni in Yamagata Prefecture.

The MeT office has warned residents in the affected regions to avoid travel where possible, after cars got stuck on roads in heavy snow.