Tokyo, Rabi'II 13, 1436, Feb 2, 2015, SPA -- A blizzard battered Japan's northern island of Hokkaido Monday as soldiers were dispatched to hard-hit areas, AP cited local media as reporting. Snow accumulation on the eastern tip of Hokkaido reached a record 179 centimetres in the region where wind gusts reached 120 kilometre per hour, Hokkaido newspaper reported. Snow accumulation also reached 41 centimetres in Shari town over a 24-hour period and 37 centimetres in Nakashibetsu town, the report said. The storm caused the cancellation of 24 flights and about 100 train services on the island on Monday, after about 100 flights and 85 train services were cancelled on the previous day, it said. --SPA 13:45 LOCAL TIME 10:45 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w