The end of Covid-19 restrictions on Japan’s nighttime economy has brought more people out on to the streets of Tokyo – but it could also be contributing to a spate of deaths among people who are struck by cars as they sleep on the road.
The number of deaths among people who sleep where they drop on the capital’s roads has nearly doubled from last year, from seven to 13, according to police.
Concern is rising that the death toll will rise again over the coming fortnight, as office workers get together to mark the end of the year at alcohol-fuelled bonenkai parties – a custom many shunned during the pandemic.
