As many as three people died and 7 others were injured in Japan after choking on mochi, a sticky rice popular to celebrate the New Year.
USA Today reports that according to Tokyo Fire, 368 celebrants had to be rushed to the hospital between 2019 and 2023 after the thick sweet food got stuck in their throats.
One of those who died this year is a man in his 70’s. The second was a man in his 80s.
CBS reports a woman in her 80s also died in Tokyo.
On December 30 both fire and police agencies issued warnings urging seniors to be especially careful eating mochi. They urged people to drink tea or soup prior to eating mochi and cut it into small pieces, Japan Today reported.
It’s become an annual warning as 90% of those hospitalized from mochi incidents are over the age of 65.
“Eating mochi is a really important part of the most important family-oriented day,” said Emily Anderson, a curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles to CBS.
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
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