A father froze to death while sheltering his nine-year-old daughter from the elements as severe blizzards swept northern Japan over the weekend.

Mikio Okada died as he tried to protect his only child, Natsune, against winds of up to 109kph and temperatures that plunged as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius.

Mr Okada was one of at least nine people killed in a spate of snow-related incidents as blizzards hit Hokkaido island.

He was last heard from at 4pm (local time) on Saturday after he collected Natsune from a school where she was being looked after while he was at work.

He called his relatives to say his truck had become stranded in driving snow, which was several metres deep in places, according to newspaper reports.

He told them he and Natsune would walk the remaining kilometre to their destination.

However, the pair were found just 300 metres from the truck early on Sunday morning.

Mr Okada was reportedly found hunched over his daughter, cradling her in his arms and apparently using his body and a warehouse wall to provide shelter.

He had taken his jacket off to give to the child, a broadcaster said.

The young girl was taken to a hospital near their home at Yubetsu on Hokkaido where she was found to have no serious injuries.

Her father was also taken to the hospital where he was officially pronounced dead.

Mr Okada's body was uncovered by rescuers looking for the pair after relatives raised the alarm.

Natsune is now an orphan, with her mother having died two years ago from an unspecified illness, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

The paper quoted neighbours as saying Okada had been a doting father who would often delay the start of his working day to enjoy breakfast with his daughter.

His death came as families all over Japan celebrated Girls' Day, a festival in which they gather at home and decorate houses with dolls.

"He reserved a cake for his only daughter and was looking forward to celebrating Dolls' Festival together," a neighbour told the Yomiuri.

AFP