Man dies after being hit by roller coaster
News On Japan via Yomiuri -- Sep 09

A man doing maintenance work died after he was wedged between a running roller coaster and a rail at an amusement park in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday.

Three primary school students who were riding the roller coaster were unhurt.

According to Koriyama Police Station, Masahiro Kaneko, 48, was doing maintenance work about 50 meters away from the departure platform of the ride in Dream Land at Koriyama Culture Park. The roller coaster, comprising six cars that reach a top speed of 65 kph, hit him at around 1:55 p.m. Shortly after, he died from blood loss.

Source: Yomiuri



Jun 18 64-year-old woman arrested for stabbing 59-year-old boyfriend
Police said Monday they have arrested a 64-year-old woman in connection with the murder of her 59-year-old partner in Seki, Gifu Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Jun 18 Tokyo cops bust Gotanda massage parlor for prostitution, arrest 7
Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the bust of a massage parlor in the Gotanda area of Shinagawa Ward on charges of prostitution. (Tokyo Reporter )
Jun 17 Saitama cops crack down on non-yakuza gangs for brawl
Saitama Prefectural Police on Monday announced the arrest of 31 suspects connected with special criminal groups for violent incidents that took place earlier this year. (Tokyo Reporter )
Jun 17 Iwate town on alert following series of bear attacks
Four people were injured in a series of attacks by at least two bears on Saturday and Sunday in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture. (Japan Today )
Jun 17 Tokyo cops crack down on beauty products scam on Mixi
Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week arrested the manager of a beauty products company that defrauded women recruited on the social-networking site Mixi. (Tokyo Reporter)
Jun 17 Population pyramid a thing of the past
The Japanese word "choju," meaning longevity, implies, with its kanji, joyous celebration of long life. Intrinsically, it is a joyful thing for people to live long. But if a society has many people who age in solitude, isolated from their families and local communities, it cannot be called choju. It should rather be called "roka shakai," or a society that weakens as it ages. (Yomiuri )
Jun 16 Crown Prince returns from Spain
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito has ended his official visit to Spain after a trip to a Christian pilgrimage site in the northwest. His visit marked the 400th anniversary of relations between the 2 countries. (NHK )
Jun 16 2 men arrested for pushing man onto train tracks after argument
Police said Sunday they have arrested two men who allegedly pushed a 43-year-old man off the platform onto the tracks on Saturday morning at JR Oimachi Station in Tokyo. (Japan Today )
Jun 16 Man arrested for running online high school prostitution ring
Police have arrested a 28-year-old man has been arrested for providing a service that illegally put high school girls in contact with men for the purpose of prostitution. (Japan Today )
Jun 16 Osaka transvestite bar busted for licensing violations
Osaka Prefectural Police on Friday busted a transvestite in bar in Minami Ward for operating illegally. At 11:15 p.m., officers took Anna Ueda, 34, the manager of club Chu-, into custody for violating the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses after discovering two employees serving one customer alcohol and food. The club did not have a license to provide such services. (Tokyo Reporter)