Blind man falls onto tracks, fatally hit by train at JR Asagaya Station in Tokyo

By Barrier Free Japan with extracts translated from Asahi TV

July 27 2020

TOKYO – A visually impaired man who fell from the station platform was hit and killed by a train.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, on July 26th, Mitsunobu Yoshimoto (51), who lived in Kodaira City, Tokyo, fell on to the tracks at JR Asagaya Station in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, was hit by a train and carried to a hospital before 3:00 pm, but later died.

Yoshimoto had a disability certificate for an eye disease, and Yoshimoto’s white cane has been found on the scene. There is no barrier on the platform at the station to prevent someone from falling, and the camera that was installed showed that Yoshimoto stepped off and fell onto the track. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the cause of Mr. Yoshimoto’s fall.