TOKYO (Bloomberg) - ANA Holdings Inc. and Japan Airlines Co., the nation's largest carriers, cancelled 185 domestic flights as the weather agency issued on Saturday (Dec 10) heavy snow warnings for parts of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

ANA canceled 83 flights affecting about 10,000 passengers, it said in a faxed statement. Japan Airlines cut 102 flights affecting about 10,490 passengers, the Tokyo-based company said in a separate faxed statement.

Japan issued heavy snow warnings on Saturday for areas of Hokkaido, including Sapporo city, in addition to avalanche advisories for some regions.

Areas along the Sea of Japan coast also had heavy snow and thunderstorm advisories, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its website.