Four men drowned in an accident off the coast of Ishikari in western Hokkaido, police and the Japan Coast Guard said Friday.
The deceased are believed to be Hokkaido residents in their late teens or 20s, the police said. A barbecue stove and beer cans were found on a nearby beach outside the designated bathing sites, the police said.
The local fire department received a call about a drowning incident Thursday afternoon. Two of the men were found about 30 meters off the coast and confirmed dead later in the day. The bodies of the other two were found around 50 meters off the beach Friday morning.