A nursing home in Kagoshima Prefecture where six people died in just over a month has denied any mismanagement even though it staffs the facility with just one overnight caregiver for its 30 residents.

The operator of Kaze no Mai, a care facility in the city of Kanoya, held a news conference where it said the deceased mostly died of old age or pre-existing conditions.

The six residents, all age 85 or older, died from October to mid-November. The facility has operated with just one caregiver at night since September, when eight employees quit due to workplace conflicts.

Of the six residents, four died in a period of three days, but the facility operator said they were all seriously ill at the time.

A doctor was available 24 hours a day and all the residents had been receiving sufficient medical care, the operator said.

There is no regulation as to how many caregivers a nursing home must have, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.