NIIGATA - An 18-year-old high school student died after being trapped between a large festival lantern and a shopping arcade pillar during a traditional lantern-pushing event in Agano, Niigata Prefecture, on the evening of August 24, raising renewed questions about safety measures at festivals involving large crowds and heavy structures.
The victim was identified as Keito Shinbo, an 18-year-old third-year high school student who was taking part in the Suibara Festival as one of the people carrying a lantern.
Police received a request for an ambulance from an officer providing security at the festival shortly before 8:30 p.m. on August 24.
Shinbo was found bleeding from the head and was taken to a hospital in critical condition and unconscious, but was later confirmed dead.
Witnesses said an automated external defibrillator was brought to the scene and that blood could be seen around the victim's head, neck and upper body.
The accident occurred during an event known as The Toro Live, in which teams push large lantern structures against one another and compete on teamwork, strength and spirit to determine the year's leading lantern.
The event has been promoted by the Agano City Tourism Association as a vigorous local tradition that draws young people back to their hometown each summer.
Video obtained by FNN showed the lanterns colliding shortly before the accident.
Each lantern measures about 2 meters wide, 1.2 meters deep and 2.4 meters high. Shinbo is believed to have been carrying one of the lanterns when the group moved close to a pillar supporting the shopping arcade and he became trapped between the lantern and the pillar.
Two other male participants in their 30s suffered injuries to their fingers and heads.
FNN reported that people who noticed the accident tried to stop the event, but the pushing between the lanterns continued for about another minute.
One person at the scene said the participants carrying the lanterns probably did not immediately realize what had happened because they were concentrating on pushing. People behind them and spectators appeared to notice the danger, but stopping the lanterns once they were pressing against one another was difficult, the witness said.
Security personnel blew whistles and called for participants to stop, according to the witness.
The festival had already introduced additional precautions after injuries were reported two years earlier, including limits on the number of people permitted to carry each lantern.
A local chamber of commerce said there had also been trouble connected with the lantern event in 2024. In 2025, organizers changed the format so participants only pushed and pulled the lanterns without colliding them. In 2026, the traditional collision format was restored after security measures were strengthened.
Agano City said that in addition to police officers, each participating lantern group had security personnel known as "white happi" staff stationed around the event.
Their role included blowing whistles to warn participants if lantern carriers moved outside designated areas during the pushing contests.
Thick cushioning had also been wrapped around pillars supporting the shopping arcade.
Disaster prevention and crisis management adviser Akira Tanaka said investigators would need to determine not only whether safety measures had been prepared, but whether participants fully understood them and whether the measures were actually followed.
He said the meaning of warning whistles, for example, would need to have been clearly communicated to everyone involved for the system to function effectively.
Agano City, which is part of the festival's organizing committee, said on August 25 that the detailed cause of the accident remained under investigation. "The organizing committee takes this situation extremely seriously and will work with the relevant authorities to determine the cause," the city said.
Flowers were placed at the accident site the following day.
Among those who came to pay their respects were Shinbo's former junior high school classmates, who described him as friendly and easy to get along with.
One former classmate said they had remained close and often spent time together, while another expressed regret at not having seen him recently.
Another said the reality of his death became clear after seeing the news that morning and recalled hearing that the Suibara Festival was particularly intense.
The accident has again highlighted safety concerns surrounding traditional festivals.
At a large traditional tug-of-war event in Kitami, Hokkaido, in July, a rope suddenly snapped and participants fell onto the road.
The rope was about 20 centimeters in diameter and weighed roughly 1.5 tons, with about 260 people divided into two teams pulling from opposite sides.
At least a dozen people were injured. The rope had been replaced more than 30 years earlier and had reportedly not undergone durability inspections.
At the Yosakoi Festival in Kochi City in 2025, seven signboards mounted above a stage were torn loose by strong winds, injuring one person who was struck by a falling panel.
For the 2026 festival, organizers replaced plywood boards with fabric to reduce the risk of injury if the signs came loose.
Tanaka said previous deaths and injuries at festivals have repeatedly raised questions over the duty of organizers to protect participants and spectators.
He said investigators would need to examine why the Agano accident occurred and whether the safety precautions in place were sufficient.
A fireworks display that had been scheduled for August 26 as part of the festival has been postponed.
Source: FNN
