4-year-old girl falls to her death from 6th-floor apartment

That’s one every week for the last month. I was terrified for my two kids under five when we lived on the 7th floor of an apartment block. My Japanese ex-wife actually wanted to put a table and chairs on the crappy little balcony so she could have her coffee out there. She got extremely angry over my objection and threatened me with divorce because of it. I poop you not! I wouldn’t let the kids out there at all. Luckily, we bought a place that also had a large rooftop balcony (5m x 11m) with a 1.8m fence right around. Why she persisted in putting a table and chairs on the little crappy balcony and not on the larger balcony is still a mystery to me. I even made the electrician put the air on motor on roof hanging brackets so there was nothing on the balcony the kids could stand on.

I don't understand how this can keep happening over and over again.

Maybe it's time to retrofit apartment windows in Japan with child safety locks.

RIP sweet little angel.

These kind of tragic accidents are becoming too rampant recently.

What will it take for parents with little kids leaving on higher floors to take ample precaution and avert this type of accidents.

Maybe it's time to retrofit apartment windows in Japan with child safety locks.

Or for parents to take better measures to ensure the door can't be opened easily for small kids. Toys R Us, Akachan Honpo, Nishimatsuya, etc all have special locks for balcony sliding doors for less than 500yen.

So sad.

Again? Higher balcony walls, windows that are at least a metre off the ground and, above all, child locks on the bloody windows; it’s standard in the UK and elsewhere. How many more children have to die?

Another one.

RIP.

Again

This keeps happening again and again and again.

RIP

Let's hope an investigation is performed and any lessons learned to prevent this from happening to other children. High rises are not ideal for young families, but the reality is that many end up living in them.

How many times are they going to allow this to happen already?

Come on!

Awful news about child's death again never stops to saddens one's soul. May the child rest in peace. My prayers go to the parents and family. I lived on 6th floor also and I never stopped stressing about the doors being shot with securtity locks at the top of the doors. But even if one is too careful, things like this happen. I am very sorry for the loss, and I am sure the child is in kids heaven, always as special place for them. Perhaps the government can take a more proactive position to educate on children's security, I am sure that there are plenty of other risks other than the building. God bless children of Japan and the World.

Much too many so called "accidents" with children which point a finger at the Japanese building codes, laws and ordinances relating to apartments and condominiums. There may be need to use much stricter requirments as they do for lodging and business facilities, with compliance to fire and safety requirements if that is not already in force.

Otherwise, it behooves all condos and apartments to review and require their owners and tenants to use safety and security measures within, such as not placing furniture close to and next to unsecured or unstable windows and balconies or installing "barriers" to prevent such accidents.

Neglectful parents. They must know it could happen, but not care.

Maybe - or get this - maybe not.

Maybe it's time to retrofit apartment windows in Japan with child safety locks.

government just need to mandate that all new houses apartments windows above 2 floors need to have safety bars fitted, this way you can keep your windows open during summer months and not have to worry about your kids falling out.

Neglectful parents. They must know it could happen, but not care.