Safety concerns mount over Japan's traditional festivals after a string of fatal accidents

There is mounting concern over the safety of Japan's traditional festivals after the death of a senior local official who was reportedly crushed beneath a float at the weekend, days after two men died in similar incidents in another part of the country.

Akihiro Nabae, the deputy mayor of Saijo in western Japan, was carrying a giant float with other participants in a festival on Saturday when he became trapped beneath the structure, Agence France-Presse reported. Nabae, 62, was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, local media said, adding that no one else was injured.

He died less than two weeks after a 51-year-old man was crushed beneath a wooden float he was riding at one of the annual Danjiri festivals held in southern Osaka prefecture. The same day, a 48-year-old man was killed in a similar accident at a Danjiri event in a nearby town. Police said 16 people were injured in the incidents.

The accidents occurred when the floats, which can weigh up to 4 tonnes, toppled as they were being pulled at speed around tight corners by hundreds of men, police said. The turns, known as yarimawashi, are a highlight of the festivals, originally held to pray for good autumn harvests.

It is not clear if Nabae lost his balance or if the contraption toppled on to him, according to police in Saijo, where the festival has been held annually since the Edo period (1603-1868). Media reports said 11 floats, each weighing as much as 3 tonnes, were lined up side by side at the time of the accident.

The annual Saijo festivals, featuring more than 100 floats, are held to thank Shinto deities for plentiful grain crops, the Jiji news agency said. Because of the centuries-old tradition's deep cultural significance, changing the character of the festivals is not simple, even where the risks are known.

Saijo's mayor, Mitsuyoshi Ochi, voiced shock and sadness at Nabae's death. 'Just when we were about to work together to build a new administration for Saijo, this tragedy occurred. I still can't believe it. I offer my heartfelt condolences,' he said in a statement.

There have been other fatal incidents at Japan's traditional festivals this year. In February, two people died in a crush at the 'naked man festival' in Okayama, where as many as 10,000 men dressed in fundoshi loincloths squeeze into the grounds of a temple and compete to seize a pair of sacred wooden sticks thrown into the crowd by the head priest. The two men who succeed are declared 'lucky men' for the year.

With similar structures, similar crowds and similar speed recurring in accident after accident, questions are being asked about whether organisers and authorities are doing enough to protect participants and spectators while preserving tradition. When floats weighing several tonnes are hauled at speed around corners, or thousands press together at once, a small mistake can turn fatal.

Alongside the investigation in Saijo, a wider discussion is now under way across Japan about how festivals that are centuries old can be made safer without losing their character. After several fatal incidents in succession, that discussion is no longer confined to the local level.