Now is vacation time for schoolchildren. But news of a swimming pool accident in the city of Fujimino, Saitama Prefecture, has cast a pall of fear over the holidays for children and parents. An investigation of the July 31 death of a 7-year-old girl in the city's swimming pool has shed light on the habitual failure of the city government, the city's board of education and the company managing the facility to ensure safety.
Erika Tomaru, a second grader, died after being sucked into an intake pipe in the circular swimming pool. A protective cover for the mouth of one of three intake sections had come off. An autopsy suggests the girl died almost instantly when her head hit the pipe.
Her death underscored several problems. Although the swimming pool is under the jurisdiction of the city's board of education, neither the board nor the city government apparently knew how the facility was managed. The city government had entrusted the pool's management to a building maintenance company, but that company had subcontracted the job out without the approval of the city government.