Masaru Oku, father of one of the seven high school students killed in a March 2017 avalanche in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, says he is torn over identifying crime and accident victims by name: He wants to stay anonymous so he can grieve silently without having to deal with the media, but he also feels the story will be more powerful if the victims are named.
"Our son's name, Masaki was publicized regardless of my wishes," Oku said, in a recent interview. "If I had been given a choice, I would have refused to agree to release his name. Losing a child is the biggest sorrow for parents. Immediately after the accident, I felt like the grief was so great that I would literally bleed when I heard even a few words mentioned about him."
The avalanche struck on a ski slope during a mountaineering workshop for more than 40 people, mostly high school students, on the morning of March 27. Seven students and a teacher from Otawara High School were killed and many others were injured. Masaki was in his first year and a member of the school's mountaineering club.