Overview
- The town mayor, 71-year-old Hiroshi Kurosawa, entered a mountain alone to pick mushrooms on Friday around noon and was found unconscious by relatives after 5 p.m.
- Relatives called emergency services and Kurosawa was taken to hospital where prefectural police confirmed his death on October 10.
- Authorities at Nagano Prefectural Police’s Saku station and the local fire department reported only minor abrasions at the scene and said they are investigating the circumstances and the cause of death.
- Kurosawa was first elected mayor in March 2018 and was serving his third term; Koumi town officials named the deputy mayor as acting mayor and said they will set a date for a mayoral election.
- Mushroom foraging is a common rural activity that can pose risks for older people in steep terrain, and the case may prompt local safety advisories and a review of protocols for unattended officials.