Photo/Illutration Fallen branches obstruct a pedestrian path in Hino, western Tokyo, on Sept. 13, marking the site where a man was fatally struck by them the day before. (Noboru Okada)

A man in his 30s died on Sept. 12 after being struck and trapped under massive falling tree branches on a pedestrian path in Hino, western Tokyo.

Local officials reported that at least six branches snapped off a towering ginkgo tree, decades-old and roughly 20 meters tall, in the city’s Tamadaira district.

“I offer my sincerest apologies as this incident occurred on property managed by the city,” said Hino Mayor Fuyuhiko Otsubo. “We will make every effort to prevent it from happening again.”

The largest branch, 5 meters long and 30 centimeters thick, snapped off at a height of about 10 meters. It is believed to have pulled down several lower branches as it plummeted to the ground. 

No problem was reported with the tree in a recent inspection in late July, according to the city. A municipal official said it is unlikely that the tree was diseased or rotted as the fallen branches had enough green leaves.

A local resident said that he had never seen a similar occurrence in the neighborhood during the 20 years that he lived there.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

In response, the city will be conducting a comprehensive inspection of all green spaces under its management.

Typically, the city conducts annual visual inspections of the ginkgo trees along with doing pruning work in November and December.

In addition to the gingko trees, the green space is home to approximately 30 other trees, including zelkova and plane trees, but no previous incidents of broken or fallen branches have been reported.

(This article was written by Noboru Okada and Manabu Ueda.)

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