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We’ve talked before about how schools in Japan stick to a book of regulations even when the regulations don’t make sense – or are even unhealthy. This past summer, as scorching temperatures beset the country, some schools forbid students from wearing sunscreen. Now, parents are suing a school in Osaka because they say that single-mindedness caused their daughter to suffer heatstroke.
The increasing risk of heatstroke in Japan
Japanese summers bring forth a diverse medley of sounds. The cicadas hum their unmistakable melody, kids laugh and play outdoors, and lively matsuri tunes echo through shrines nationwide.
Yet, in this rich symphony, there’s one more familiar sound – the urgent wail of ambulances cutting through traffic. In the summer heat, chances are they’re racing to aid someone battling the grasp of heatstroke (熱中症).
Once limited to scorching work environments like coal mines and steel mills, heatstroke is now everyone’s business. With rising temperatures enveloping our planet, Japan has recently endured exceptionally hot and humid summers. Heatstrokes have become a daily challenge, especially in bustling cities, where heat is intensified by asphalt and car engines. Age doesn’t serve as a barrier either. Without essential precautions, even young students at school can fall victim to heatstroke.
Tea denied, heatstroke came next
On February 27th, parents in Yao City, Osaka, took the city and their daughter’s public school to court. Why? In May 2022, their elementary school kid joined a two-hour walking school trip. Concerned about her smaller stature and well-being, her mother asked the school to let her buy extra tea if necessary. And a simple request to call her immediately if the girl’s condition took a hit.
None of these asks turned into action.
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As the girl’s tea supply ran dry, she asked her teacher for more. The teacher turned down her request, reportedly due to budget constraints on hydration. Feeling dizzy on the way back, her plea to call her mom was also ignored.
The consequence? A severe heatstroke ensued, leading to fever and emergency transport. Now, the family is seeking around 2.2 million yen in damages.
The city’s defense rests on the claim that they acted based on the child showing no symptoms during the trip. However, public sentiment tells a different story. Social media platforms are ablaze with heated accusations.
Some even labeled the incident as “attempted murder.” Hiroki Nishimura, aka “Hiroyuki,” founder of “2channel,” expressed disbelief on social media platform X and wished for the incident to be treated as a criminal case rather than a civil matter.
Setting aside their anger, the parents voiced overall discontent with the school’s preference for rules over child safety. Post the oral argument on the 27th, they told the media:
“We hope the school can adapt to the times, putting the safety of our children first instead of being stuck in outdated rule-centric thinking.”
An all-summer, all-Japanese occurrence
The globe is heating up everywhere – it’s no secret anymore. Japanese summers, with their trademark humidity, add an extra layer of challenge to this warming trend.
In 2016, the “Zero Heatstroke” project surveyed foreigners, solidifying these observations. A staggering 80% found Japanese summers more demanding than their home countries. Surprisingly, even those from tropical regions agreed – with 60% admitting Japan’s summer heat was no walk in the park.
In the past year, Japan witnessed the highest average temperature in the 125 years since the Meteorological Agency began monitoring. A scorching heatwave, 1.76 degrees higher than the norm, gripped the entire nation.
On August 10th, Itoigawa in Niigata Prefecture set a national record with a minimum temperature of 31.4 degrees. This “abnormal weather,” as classified by the Meteorological Agency, led to a surge in the unfortunate incidents of heatstrokes.
Heatstroke, a serious condition resulting from excessive sweating, dehydration, and a rise in body temperature, is genuinely alarming. Mild cases bring on dizziness and muscle cramps. More intense ones can unleash headaches, nausea, and diarrhea combo. In the most serious cases, individuals may face impaired consciousness, seizures, or damage to vital organs such as the liver and kidneys.
The exceptionally hot year of 2023 saw a staggering surge in heatstroke cases. Between May and September, emergency transports nationwide tallied up to 91,467 people – inching close to the record high of 95,137 in 2018. And 10.5% of these cases involved juveniles aged 7 to 18.
On a brighter note, 67.2% experienced only mild symptoms. However, 30% required hospitalization, and 2% fell into the severe category. Sadly, 107 lives were lost. These alarming figures leave us with lingering concerns about the future in a world that’s heating up.
Schools seize in the heatwave
Heatstrokes play no favorites, and schools are no strangers to this peril. With an annual rate hitting around 5,000 cases, these incidents are unfortunately recurrent in educational settings. In 2018, the Japan Sports Promotion Center registered a record high of over 7,000 cases.
The risk seems to peak in middle schools and beyond. This is likely due to the intense realm of club activities, where practices and competitions march on even in the summer heat.
With sports activities often involving outdoor runs in heavy clothing, fatalities are part of the picture. Despite a decreasing trend, ranging from 0 to 2 cases annually, tragic incidents occasionally grab headlines. Take July 2023, for instance, when a female high school student in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, succumbed to heatstroke after finishing club activities.
Regarding fatalities, the Japan Sports Promotion Center revealed that over 18 years (2003-2021), 28 children died similarly. NHK dug deeper into these numbers, cross-referencing them with the “heat index” (WBGT) data from the Ministry of the Environment. The findings are eye-opening. Starting from 2010, two incidents occurred in temperatures exceeding the “danger level” (WBGT 31 or higher), and ten surpassed the “extreme caution heat” (WBGT 28–31) – making up around 80% of the total.
“As a coach, heading into the championship, I aim to secure that crucial ‘final push’ practice time. However, there were days when I had to cancel practice just before the Inter-High. It was a judgment call to prevent heatstroke, and I had no hesitation,” shared Coach Takuro Yasuda of Moriya High School Girls’ Kendo Club with NHK.
In the wake of recent incidents, the Ministry of Education has stepped up notifications, advocating for robust heatstroke prevention measures in schools. Plus, a comprehensive study led to the release of “Guidelines for Creating Heatstroke Prevention Measures in Schools.” Prefectures, including Osaka, mirrored these measures, stressing the crucial role of adult supervision for children. Regrettably, it appears those efforts fell short this time.
Consequences at a hefty cost
Past incidents have paved the way for handling situations like the one in Osaka in 2022. Back in 2015, the same prefecture faced another heatstroke episode when a student collapsed during scorching tennis practice hours. It wasn’t a mild case – the heatstroke led to severe disability due to hypoxic brain damage. The High Court didn’t hold back, considering all factors when delivering a verdict. In the end, both the prefecture and the school were hit with a compensation order of 230 million yen (USD $1.53 million).
When it comes to assigning blame, courts ponder whether the school, teachers, and instructors upheld their duty of safety considerations. This obligation, straight from a 1983 Supreme Court decision, requires schools to take every precaution to ensure students’ safety. Heatstroke prevention, of course, is a big part of this. In a nutshell, when the threat of heatstrokes looms, the school’s task is crystal clear: ensure enough hydration, ample breaks, and just the right conditions for activities.
When heatstroke accidents occur, the school’s breach of this duty might trigger legal action. To press charges, the violation must meet two criteria: foreseeability and avoidability of results. Put plainly, could the school see it coming? Could they have avoided it with preventive measures?
The situation doesn’t bode well for the Yao school in this trial. Yet, it does offer a chance to make amends, implement crucial measures, and prevent life-threatening oversights in the future.
Sources
「いつの時代の教育だよ」遠足でお茶購入認めず児童が熱中症、学校は「症状出たら容認」時代錯誤の言い分 Yahoo Japan News
遠足でお茶購入認めず、女子児童が熱中症で救急搬送 学校側対応に批判殺到「殺人未遂」「安全確保せな」 Yahoo Japan News
「ママを呼んで」にも対応せず･･･ 遠足で小一女児の水筒が空に 学校側が水分購入認めず熱中症に 女児と両親が提訴 大阪・八尾市 ABCニュース
【速報】遠足でお茶の購入認められず熱中症で救急搬送…両親は事前に申し入れも 市に損害賠償求め提訴 Yahoo Japan News
ひろゆき氏「刑事事件で良くない？」遠足でお茶の購入認められず小１女児熱中症の民事裁判めぐり 日刊スポーツ
この夏の平均気温 平年比1.76度高く125年間で最高に NHK
熱ゼロ研究レポート：外国出身者に聞いた「日本の暑さ」に関する調査 第1弾 熱中症ゼロへ
令和５年（５月から９月）の熱中症による救急搬送状況 総務省
全国制覇の強豪校も悩む “夏の部活” データから見えた危険 NHK
学校における熱中症対策ガイドライン作成の手引き 文部科学省
学校での熱中症事故は誰に責任を問えるか｜学校の責任と損害賠償請求 ベリーベスト法律事務所
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