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Japan is prosecuting a teenager who fell from the rooftop of a shopping centre and landed on a pedestrian below, resulting in the death of both, Japan Today reported.
The incident occurred on August 31 this year, when a 17-year-old girl from Japan’s Chiba Prefecture went to an open space on the 12th floor of the NEWoMan shopping complex above Yokohama Station. She climbed over a 2.5-meter glass barrier surrounding the public area and jumped from the building in the afternoon.
The 17-year-old student landed on 32-year-old Chikako Chiba, who was walking with friends. Both were taken to the hospital, where the teenager died first, followed by Chiba about three hours later.
Investigators believe the teenager’s fall was a suicide, though the reason is unclear. The teenager has been charged posthumously with “gross negligence resulting in death”. Yokohama police said that the student was aware of the potential danger to pedestrians below.
The decision to prosecute the teenager has sparked debate, with critics questioning the value of prosecuting someone who is deceased. A comment on Japan Today described the action as “peak government ridiculousness.”
Japan has the highest suicide rate among teenagers in the G7 countries and records more suicides by minors on September 1 than on any other day in the calendar year. In 2023, 513 minors died by suicide on this date, similar to 514 the year before, according to government data.
Overall, 21,800 people in Japan died by suicide last year. To address the issue, the Japanese government appointed a minister for loneliness in 2021, linking the rise in suicides to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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