Deputy Mayor Dies in Japan Festival Float Accident

Saijo Deputy Mayor Akihiro Nabae, 62, died on October 17, 2026, after a 5.3-meter-tall, 2-3 metric ton festival float, known as a taikodai, crushed him during the city's annual Saijo Festival[1][4][5][7]. The incident occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. JST as Nabae participated as a float bearer[4][5]. He was hospitalized and pronounced dead about an hour later[4][5].

This fatality marks a third death in less than two weeks linked to traditional Japanese festivals, intensifying safety concerns over the large, heavy floats used in these centuries-old events[1][7][9][11].

What the records show

Police and municipal government officials reported that Nabae was among participants carrying the taikodai float during a "kakikurabe" contest[4][6][7]. This traditional event involves 11 floats lined up side-by-side[6][7]. The taikodai involved in the accident was described as 5.3 meters tall and weighing between 2 and 3 metric tons[4][5][7]. There were no other reported injuries at the Saijo Festival incident[1][4][5]. Saijo police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident[5].

The timeline

The Saijo accident follows multiple similar incidents involving festival floats in Osaka Prefecture. On October 3, 2026, 11 people were injured when a danjiri float overturned in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture[9][11]. One week later, on October 10, 2026, two men died, and 16 others were injured in separate incidents in Izumisano and Izumiotsu, Osaka[8][9][10][11]. In both Osaka cases, 4-meter-tall, 4-ton danjiri floats overturned during "yarimawashi" maneuvers, which involve high-speed turning[9][11][12]. The men who died in Osaka were trapped beneath the floats[9][12][13]. All casualties in the Osaka danjiri accidents were participants, not spectators[10][11][12].

What changed and for whom

The series of accidents has brought renewed attention to the safety of traditional Japanese festivals. Concerns about crowd safety in Japan have been present since at least 2023, following events like the 2022 Seoul crush disaster[2]. Some cities have moved traditional festivals to spring and autumn to avoid soaring summer temperatures, a safety and comfort measure[3].

What the subject has said publicly

Despite the recurring large-scale accidents at festivals nationwide, local governments in Japan maintain they cannot halt the centuries-old traditions and continue to hold the events[7].

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm specific details regarding the ongoing police investigations into the recent festival deaths, nor could we ascertain any immediate changes to festival protocols or specific statements from organizers in Saijo or Osaka concerning participant safety following these incidents.