Society

Nine die, dozens injured while engaging in summer leisure activities on Bon holiday

Aug 14 (Japan Times) - Nine people died and around 30 sustained injuries while engaging in leisure activities at sea, on mountains or at other spots Sunday, when people were taking advantage of the Bon holiday season, according to a tally compiled by Kyodo News.

Of the nine, seven died at sea off or near beaches in Hokkaido and Niigata, Kyoto, Tottori, Shimane and Kagoshima prefectures, while the remaining two died in rivers, including a 7-year-old boy from Aichi Prefecture who was found in a river in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture.

Many people across the country engaged in some kind of outdoor recreation on the last day of the nation's three-day weekend.

Among the victims of fatal accidents were Masaki Ogiyama, 29, from Sapporo, who was visiting a beach in the town of Yoichi, and Hideaki Aomatsu, 71, from Yokohama who drowned while collecting shells off Sado Island in Niigata.

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Japan Grapples with Poverty and Rising 'Invisible Homeless'

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