TOKYO (Reuters) - Residents of northern Japan began digging out on Friday (Jan 13) after a winter storm dumped up to 2m of snow and forecasters warned of further falls, including sub-zero weather in Tokyo.

A 61-year-old woman was found dead on Thursday under a pile of snow in front of her home in Yamagata prefecture on Honshu island, Japanese media reported.

Television footage showed residents across northern and western Japan shovelling snow outside their houses and off rooftops on Friday.

The cold front was expected to bring "alarming amounts of snowfall" over the weekend, including sub-zero temperatures in the capital Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.