A father and his daughter died on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido after they were buried in snow, local media reported on Wednesday.

Rescuers found an 84-year-old man and his 59-year-old daughter late Tuesday who had been buried under snow that was believed to have fallen off the roof in the city of Iwamizawa, the local Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reported.

The daughter was found dead at the scene while the father was pronounced dead after he was taken to hospital, the paper said.

The fresh snowfall pushed the snow accumulation to a record 142 centimetres in Iwamizawa on Tuesday.

Heavy snow caused the cancellation of 135 train services on the island on Tuesday, according to the operator Hokkaido Railway Company.

A cold air system is expected to bring more snow to northern Japan and the Sea of Japan coastline later this week, the Meteorological Agency said.