8-Year-Old Girl Collapses and Dies after Physical Education Class Due to Possible Heat Stroke

20 comments

1. Japanese clubs in the summer. Just open all the pools and have fun and keep cool.

2. In Hokkaido, no less.

3. Getting so tired of this. Stop making kids do strenuous activities outside above 30. They absolutely cannot control every variable to ensure they are hydrated or medically able to handle it – so they should not fucking be making them do it.
   Find something lower impact.

4. “No one could have seen this coming at all. We’re completely shocked.” – Japanese Principle

5. fucking morons. how difficult is it to do PE class indoors

6. God these stories are infuriating. Killing the youth and future of Japanese society. I would be a force of destruction if that was my child. I would make every adult at that school’s life a living hell. They’re supposed to be the authority figures protecting children.

7. When will this country realize that forcing kids to do exercise outside in the summer heat and humidity is child abuse?

8. Being forced to undertake physical activities at the hottest time of the day so this comes as no surprise. It is happening all over the country despite the government announcing extreme heat alerts.

9. Here’s an idea…… Make the children drink water! I cannot even count how many times I’ve picked my children up from school here and their water bottles are still full! It’s not difficult whatsoever. And then let’s also stop outside exercise in the fucking sun in the middle of summer? 😖

10. So avoidable

11. Oh who would have thought 🫥

12. Oh yay. Another summer with dead kids in gym class.

13. This heat is getting outta hand

14. When I was in Japan in August 2019, a mascot actor at a Kyoto theme park died from heat stroke.

    The lack of A/C will become deadly, and I don’t think Japan realizes yet that the era of ‘tolerable’ warm summers is ending.

15. Reminds me how my elementary school had no AC. Luckily our summer activity was swimming (outdoor pool) so while we got tanned af, we were somewhat cool.

16. Japan is SO DAMN HOT right now.

    like.. even at 6pm, with the sun setting.. and its kinda cloudy. the humidity alone makes it awful.

    just imaging being outside while its SUNNY in the middle of the day.. AND RUNNING AROUND.. no one can survive that for too long. humans are NOT built for it.

17. It’s hot AF from June-Sept yet the school pool is open for 2-3 weeks ?
    Maybe budget a little more for the pool and less for 3 solid weeks of undokai marching?

18. I used to see kids playing baseball at midday in late August and I’d think “in most countries this would be a lawsuit waiting to happen”

    It’s not like they’re *actually* incapable of acting. Few years ago I remember they banned – in some prefectures, anyway – the “human pyramid” thing that kids used to do at sports days because the student at the top kept falling off and breaking a limb. And this a hundred times worse; at least a broken limb can be fixed. I don’t want this to come across as parodic, given the awful nature of the situation, but it really has that oh-so-Japanese

    “the Teacher Responsible for Awareness of the Role of Heat in Physical Education Lessons (体育授業中熱影響知識担当者) raised this point at a previous staff meeting, but because he had forgotten his hanko, he was officially reprimanded by the Teacher Responsible for Correct Hanko Etiquette (はんこ礼儀担当者) and was advised that until he demonstrated a sincere attempt to improve his hanko performance, any suggestions he made would be thrown out with prejudice. By the time the offending teacher had filled out the Form for Officially Apologizing And Groveling At The Feet of the Teacher Responsible for Correct Hanko Etiquette (shortened version: 陳謝及び土下座申込書), the average outside temperature had already gone from “highly uncomfortable” to “hey, there’s someone melting out there”, and the school had run out of “Official notification of change in dangerous weather status” forms…

    feel to it.

19. Wait… this site doesn’t link back to the original article, and are kids back at school in Hokkaido already?

20. The school at my son’s school asked parents not to bring a tents or seats during the undokai. I dk why.

    They made us I sun under the sun for four hours while PTA members enjoyed the tents.

    I told the teacher I’m not finishing the undokai after four hours- we’re heading home.on the way out, I saw an ambulance and the head teacher. A student collapsed.

    I myself collapsed in bed.

    I am boycotting undokai from now because of this.