Newspaper articles of judo injuries resulting in death: 1984 – 2010 [21]
Beginner judo club member dies after being thrown by senior student: parents sue the local government
The Asahi Shimbun, Nigata
June 17, 1997
Takahiro Sato (12), a first year student of Kurokawa Junior High School in Kurokawa village, Nigata, died in June of last year due to an injury sustained during training at an after-school judo club. His parents filed a lawsuit against Kurokawa village for the school’s neglect of safety obligation, seeking about70 million yen in compensation.
The complaint stated that Takahiro joined the judo club in April of the previous year just after entering the school. On June 18, during a judo practice after school, a senior student who was practicing throwing techniques had Takahiro as his opponent. Takahiro hit his head violently against the mat when he was thrown and died the following day of acute subdural hematoma. The plaintiff emphasized that it was very risky to have a senior student practice throwing with a beginner and that the school neglected the duty of care to prevent injuries.
Principal Imai said that they were considering the response against the complaint and that they have no further comment.
Settlement agreed between parents of junior high school student who died and local government
The Asahi Shimbun
April 18, 1998
The Chief Judge of Nigata District Court recommended a settlement for the complaint filed against Kurokawa local government by the parents of Takahiro Sato, who died due to a judo injury he sustained while at his junior high school. The Chief Judge stated that the local government is solely to blame. On Apr. 17 a settlement was agreed between the two parties that the local government will pay tens of millions of yen as compensation.
The representative of the plaintiff said, “Judo has risks if athletes of different levels compete against each other. We are satisfied that the school’s negligence of assigning a first year beginner student against a much larger third year student has been recognized.”
