SAPPORONovember 15 (News On Japan) – A one-year-old boy tragically choked on daycare center food in Sapporo, Hokkaido on October 23, leading to his untimely death, daycare officials confirmed at a press conference on November 15.
The child, aged one year and one month, was attending Ai-Grand Takuhoku Kindergarten when the incident occurred. During lunch in the 0-year-old class, he choked on food described as “baby food that looks like stir-fried barbecue.” Despite being rushed to hospital, he was pronounced dead.
At the press conference, the representative director of the Ai-Grand childcare center expressed deep apologies to the relatives and said: “We deeply regret the loss of the life of this precious child – a tragedy that should never happen in a childcare facility.”
The daycare center, known for its in-house meal preparation by a dedicated nutritionist, provided home-cooked meals and snacks. On the day of the incident, meat dishes were reportedly on the menu. It is believed that the boy choked on the meat.
Parents expressed concern and stated that serving meat to such young children was inappropriate. One parent said: ‘I thought it was too early to serve products like meat or spinach, even if it was labeled as baby food.’
Concerns about childcare safety were not new. Some parents reported previous cases of children at risk, including one parent who reported a child being left unattended in the yard due to inadequate supervision.
The daycare acknowledged the criticism, saying: โWe understand that the lack of explanation has caused frustration, and we aim to rebuild trust through sincere efforts.โ An ongoing investigation by both the childcare center and police is attempting to determine the cause of the incident.
Source: FNN
