With water accidents involving foreigners rising in Japan, what precautions are needed?

The Mainichi

7 days ago

TOKYO -- As Japan is experiencing extreme heat, a spate of water accidents has been reported across the country, and many foreigners are recently getting caught in those incidents amid rising foreign worker and inbound tourist numbers.
Local governments and other bodies are pursuing measures to prevent water accidents involving foreigners by taking differences in cultures and customs into account.
'Want to swim as no sea back home'
In June, two Vietnamese men were swept away from Katakai Beach in the town of Kujukuri, Chiba Prefecture, while a Myanmarese man visiting a beach in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, for swimming drowned.
According to a survey by the Nippon Foundation's Umi no Sonae Project, there were media reports on 229 water accidents involving 265 people between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2024, of which 172 people died. Roughly 10% of those who drowned were foreigners, with nearly half at rivers and around 40% at sea. Some of the accidents occurred at no-swimming zones where safety measures were not in place.
In some cases, foreigners caught up in water accidents lacked understanding of rules along waterfront areas. This was, however, not the only cause.
According to data released in 2019 by OECD, the ratio by country of people aged 15 and older who can swim on their own stood at 90% for Sweden, 60% for Japan, 40% for Vietnam and 20% for Nepal. While Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands reached 90%, with Sweden topping the list, the ratio for African and Asian countries was generally low.
Among the countries that many foreign residents in Japan come from, the ratio of such people was in the 50% range for Thailand, followed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia in the 40% range, Myanmar and India in the 30% range, and China and Nepal in the 20% range. It is thought that the availability of school education and whether they have swimming pools and other facilities or a natural environment where people can become familiar with water affect the ratio.
A 30-year-old Nepalese staff member at a cafe in Nagoya, who came to Japan in June, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I have experience swimming in a river, but not everyone else does that." They added, with their eyes sparkling, "As there's no ocean in Nepal, I'd like to go swimming in the Japanese sea."
For inexperienced bathers, swimming in unknown areas entails risks. In addition, there are geographical features and nature unique to Japan. River currents are complicated and could become rapid, unlike the slow flows on continents.
In Gifu Prefecture, home to many river leisure spots, seven foreigners died in water accidents in 2024. In response, the prefectural government created flyers in six languages listing the features of Japanese rivers, such as "deep," "rapid" and "slippery," as well as points to keep in mind.
This summer, the prefecture commissioned companies hiring foreigners, volunteers working for a multicultural inclusive society and leaders in disaster prevention efforts to disseminate those precautions. A representative at the prefectural government's diversity and inclusion promotion division commented, "To ensure that the content is communicated without fail, we asked those directly associated with foreigners to act as a bridge between us."
'Float and wait'
So what points should inexperienced swimmers take note of for safety?
Professor Hidetoshi Saitoh at Nagaoka University of Technology graduate school, who serves as a director of the Society of Water Rescue and Survival Research, pointed out, "It is essential to check the depths of rivers and seas before entering them."
Among accidents involving foreigners, there are often cases where people drown in deep water after jumping into a river, deeming it highly transparent.
At sea, people should be wary of the same location potentially getting deeper when waves come in. Saitoh also advises that those playing in rivers and the sea should make sure the water is below the knee.
The professor emphasized that the most important action to protect your life is to "float and wait."
In case people fall into the water or are about to be swept away, they should not try to swim, but rather wait for help while floating face-up. "It's OK even if you can't swim. It's actually better if you don't try to swim," Saitoh noted.
This approach is widely taught at elementary schools and elsewhere, alongside swimming while wearing clothes, as part of safety education in Japan.
Since 2011, the Society of Water Rescue and Survival Research has been teaching the approach of "float and wait" in Southeast Asian countries to let people protect themselves from a series of flood disasters. The organization has held classes in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and elsewhere, and has also taught at adult swimming schools.
"If people who receive such an education increase, the number of fatal accidents will decline, even if they cannot swim," Saitoh said. "All we can do is to continue steady efforts."
Education, culture and the natural environment vary greatly depending on countries. It is crucial to carefully communicate information about various risks to foreigners, without taking these things for granted because they are in Japan.