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Report: About 70% of children who fell from buildings had object to climb up on
A panel of Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has found that in about 70 percent of accidents in which young children fell out of windows or from balconies, there was some object nearby to climb up on.
The panel report says there were 134 cases in the 32 years through 2024 in which children under six years old fell to their deaths. In 92 of the cases, children fell from balconies, and in 42, out of windows.
In 99 cases, or about 74 percent, there was something nearby that children could climb up on, such as a bed, sofa, desk or chest near a window, or an air conditioner outdoor unit, planter or chair on a balcony.
In 43 of the cases, it was confirmed that the window was unlocked at the time of the accident.
In the other 91 cases, investigators found that a child may have opened the lock.
It is said that a secondary lock on the window could prevent a child from opening it.
Last year, Nagoya City in central Japan handed out secondary locks for free to households with children of five years or younger.
A Tokyo-based nonprofit group made up of doctors and researchers created a manual for installing secondary locks, and representatives have been visiting homes to put them in place.
But a survey by Nagoya City found that 34 percent of the households did not install secondary locks. Respondents gave reasons, such as it would be too troublesome to open the window, or the locks did not match the shape of their windows.
The panel report points out the necessity of urging manufacturers to study and develop secondary locks designed to prevent children from falling out of buildings.
