Drift ice, the annual winter spectacle that draws tour boats in Japan’s northern seas, will soon be few and far between due to global warming, scientists warn. A study by Hokkaido University ...

RAUSU, Hokkaido--Town officials on Feb. 7 lost sight of about 10 killer whales that were spotted the previous day struggling to breathe as drift ice closed in around them just off the coast here.

Once again, the season of drift ice has arrived. The ice has traveled 1,000 kilometers from the northern seas to get here. Local temperatures in winter drop to 20 degrees Celsius below zero.

Seas off the coast of Hokkaido's Abashiri are now covered with drift ice, chunks of freshwater ice that emerge from the Amur River. The largest pieces are more than ten meters across and some are ...