16-year-old boy falls to his death from rooftop in Saitama
SAITAMA —
A 16-year-old boy fell to his death from the rooftop of a 9-floor building in Fujimi City, Saitama Prefecture, on Sunday night.
Police said the boy had been drinking with a companion when the accident happened at about 10:30 p.m., NTV reported. The boy fell onto the roof of the 5-floor building next door. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead just after midnight, NTV reported.
The other boy told police that his friend had said he was going to the toilet when he fell off the edge of the rooftop.
Japan Today
Order by Time Order by Popularity
32 Comments
Login to comment
0
Zen student
Sad, very sad. Yet another death from falling in Japan. Sounds like they need to put up better railings on rooftops in Japan.
3
Disillusioned
Or, just restrict access. I quite often hear stories about kids playing on roofs of apartment blocks and have often wondered how they get up there. A bit of bad luck for the kid though. We used to climb telephone towers when we were drunken teenagers.
-2
ebisen
Not to be disrespectful but.. Did he just tried to pee from the roof (on the passerbys' heads), lost balance and felt down, while being intoxicated and under aged?
-2
Thomas Anderson
16 year olds can't legally drink!
2
CrazyJoe
Using the rooftop as a beer garden?
-5
Mirai Hayashi
Parents?
5
Disillusioned
Didn't you have a drink when you were 16?
They are 16, not 6!
0
Tom DeMicke
Sad story. Terrible.
2
smithinjapan
A bad example of teens being teens, but that's what it was.
-2
Lowly
dissillusioned-
rooftops are valuable public space for residents of the bldg in cramped Japan, where there are few parks or even public benches dntn, and where apts are often very small. For the residents, it's a place where maybe they could have a bbq, or hang big laundry items, or put coin op laundry machines etc. Usually there's a fence or railing around the edge, but there's only so much you can do, if someone wants to go to the edge... As far as the bathroom bit, I guess he wanted to go on ppls heads...?
3
jojo_in_japan
ah no .... 16 year olds should not be drinking.
-3
tmarie
Didn't you have a drink when you were 16?
Indeed I did but not at 10:30pm on a school night.
I second the comment - parents??? Or does the school blamed for this too?
-1
Disillusioned
You base this assumption based on what? The few rooftop balconies you see around the place? The majority of apartment block roofs are off-limits and secured. Those that are not are fenced and usually only small roofs because of the residents living underneath. Maybe this was a fenced rooftop, but there is nothing in this article indicating that it was. It does, however, indicate the edge was easily accessible. I also doubt he intended to pee over the edge because the residents of the building would have complained quickly and loudly.
-2
Stephen Jez
Sad but reminds me of the neighbor kids who used to climb around the gate that lead up to the roof of my apartment complex. Had to call the JPs on them several times.
-3
Mirai Hayashi
Yes Disillusioned! PARENTS!
Parents should be involved in their children's lives until they are legal adults or old enough to live on their own (in Japan, that's about age 30...certainly NOT 16!)
And no, I did not drink when I was I was 16 because 1.) it's illegal and 2.) my mother raised me right. Those who do drink at 16 on top of a building late at night (obviously without their parent's knowing about it) are delinquents. I really fell for the parents, but they probably lost control of their kid(s) a long time ago.
-1
Mirai Hayashi
By the looks of pics in the link below, the apt bldg had no fencing or railing on the roof so he could have easily fallen off (especially if he was drunk). No explanation as to whether or not he was urinating, but I suppose the police would know by examining the body
http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/ann/news/web/html/220717033.html
0
Ms. Alexander
Japanese parents leave their 5-year olds at home alone so why would they watch a 16-year old? If the kid wasn't in high school, which isn't mandatory, then he was just a "pootaro".
Some teenagers do crazier things but never get hurt. This boy was just not lucky.
RIP and I hope your friend learned a valuable lesson.
0
Thunderbird2
Just saw the video news with this... there's a high fence all the way around the roof... the boy would have to climbed over it, so not a case of just falling off the roof.
-1
Mirai Hayashi
@Thunderbird2
look at the vid again...the building with the fence is the building he fell onto....he fell onto the fence
0
Thunderbird2
Ah... just watched it again. Apologies.
1
tmarie
I also doubt he intended to pee over the edge because the residents of the building would have complained quickly and loudly.
As much as I would LOVE to agree with you on this, the pissing salarymen and taxi drivers in the street lead me to believe otherwise.
Will also state that every building I have ever lived in here (all five of them) had the roof off limits. These kids were up there and shouldn't have been. Lawsuit by negligent parents to the negligent build owner?
1
techall
Sometimes this is a rite of passage among peers. Tragically gone wrong!
I lost some friends to foolish pranks back in high school and thank my stars that I made it though that difficult period in my life without getting myself killed. Did some crazy things that make me shudder now!
0
Lowly
disillusioned,
I am sure that in a land full of so many and varied buildings as Japan is, that there are just all kinds of bldgs.
And there are.
In my experience, quite a few mansion-type bldgs had rooves w/access for residents. (Although I, too, lived in one where I couldn't get up there). But really the number I've seen is quite large. fwiw
1
Yubaru
Pretty poor assumption to make. I know plenty of kids who didnt go to high school here and are either in Technical schools or working. Sure some dont. But to assume he was is poor form.
0
Yubaru
Please keep your indignation aside, look at the article again please? And Monday was what?
0
Yubaru
Personally speaking here, and I really don't care what people think about it either, if the boy had responsible parents he wouldn't be drinking on the roof, he'd be having a drink or two with them instead.
I was legal to drink at 18 in the states, but prior to that when I was 15 or 16, if I wanted to try something, a beer, or cocktail, my parents would let me drink it with them at home. Better to learn what alcohol can do with the parents around then "Just Say No". If you learn at home, then hopefully you won't get into situations like this one.
Another preventable death, so sad, RIP.
1
sfjp330
In Japan, you always hear tragic news about somebody falling from the balcony of the hi-rise buidling. This is especially sad for young kids that fall and end their life so early. Some of the problems of accidents are attributed to the building code, or lack of it in higher fence in the balconies and safety guard on the windows. In the future, city goverment should enforce all new hi-rise apartment buildings and remodeliing of existing buildings to have these safety features. I know it's costly, but if it save at least one life, it's worth it.
-2
tmarie
A 16-year-old boy fell to his death from the rooftop of a 9-floor building in Fujimi City, Saitama Prefecture, on Sunday night.
Yubaru, perhaps it is you who needs to read the article again? Heck, the first paragraph.
And sorry, indignation? Whatever. School night when underage means no drinks. That is what Friday and Saturday are for. Come on now. I'm not condemning him for drinking. I'm condemning him and his parents for having a 16 year old on a roof on a school night drinking - and falling off.
My question is, did he fall or jump?
2
Yubaru
I agree, however and sadly as it is, never going to happen until people start falling off of buildings every day for a year or two.
2
Yubaru
Monday was a national holiday!
0
tmarie
Again, reread. I was even nice enough to bold it for you - and some schools had classes. I did!
0
palanteboricua
What about the other boy?? Was he drinking too? And.. How old is he?? Seems they were both intoxicated and having a good time. The Police, as always, wouldn't allow an underage minor drinking to be reveled publicly. The article states, the boy was drinking with a companion - it doesn't highlight male or female....
Back in the World, 16 year olds do drink (knowingly that it is illegal...), but they have been exposed to it through family gatherings, social events, you name it. Her.... never happens!! And if it did, never slips out for others to know. To shameful I guess. That explains teenagers here know nothing on how to handle themselves with alcohol....!!!!
Back to top