Japan Press Weekly

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2016 August 17 - 23 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Visually impaired subway passenger’s fatal fall reaffirms need for safety improvement

The recent fatal fall of a visually impaired person at a subway station again highlighted the need to equip train platforms with protective partitions and increase the number of station staff.

The accident occurred on August 15 at Tokyo Metro Ginza Line Aoyama-itchome Station. A 55-year-old visually impaired man, who was walking along the subway platform with his guide dog, fell onto the subway tracks and was hit by a train. The man, Shinada Naoto, living in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, was taken to a hospital but died three hours later.

Holding his guide dog’s leash with his right hand, Shinada walked along the platform edge, strayed off course, and fell onto the subway tracks, according to the police.

The subway operator, Tokyo Metro, will begin installing platform screen doors on the Ginza Line in April 2017.

National Counsel of Visual Disabled in Japan (NCVDJ) head Tanaka Akihiro pointed out that this tragic accident would have been prevented if the subway company had a sufficient number of staff deployed at station platforms.

Tanaka stressed, “For visually disabled people, walking along railway platforms is tantamount to walking on a bridge with no parapet. Installation of platform gates and an increase in the number of station staff is vital to guarantee the safety of visually impaired persons.”

Past related articles:
> Visually impaired persons call on Transport Ministry to improve safety at train stations [February 2, 2016]
> Visually impaired urges gov’t to ensure railway stations have sufficient number of staff [November 10, 2015]