Mochi deaths haunt Japan again: Why these New Year rice cakes are dangerous

Mochi-related deaths have come to haunt Japan again. The delicious rice cake, which is an integral part of the country’s New Year celebrations, turned fatal as two people choked to death.

Despite warnings from authorities, mochi remains a favourite treat for many during the New Year. Almost every year, people are hospitalised in Japan after eating the rice cake.

Let’s take a closer look.

Mochi kills 2 in Japan

At least two elderly people died in Tokyo after choking on mochi on the first three days of the New Year, as per a Japan Today report. They were among the nine people, aged between 73 and 84, who choked on the rice cake and had to be hospitalised in Japan’s capital.

According to TV Asahi, a man in his 70s choked on mochi at his home in Itabashi Ward on New Year’s Day and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The other man who lost his life was in his 80s and lived in the Tokyo suburb of Nerima.

What is mochi?

Mochi, a staple of the Japanese New Year, is a sticky, sweet traditional delicacy made of soft and chewy rice.

After steaming the rice, it is pounded and mashed. The rice becomes a sticky mass, which is then given a round shape and baked or boiled, as per BBC.

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Families usually eat mochi in a savoury soup called ozoni.

Emily Anderson, a curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, told CBS Sunday Morning last month that New Year’s Day is the most important holiday in Japan, with mochi being a traditional delicacy to celebrate.

“Eating mochi is a really important part of the most important family-oriented day,” she said.

However, mochi can turn deadly. The glutinous cakes are chewy and sticky and have to be properly chewed before swallowing.

They will be hard to eat for those who cannot chew properly like children and the elderly.

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According to BBC, if mochi is swallowed without chewing, it can get stuck in people’s throats, leading to suffocation.

Mochi deaths in Japan

Mochi has caused deaths nearly every year in Japan . A survey by the Tokyo Fire Department, cited by local media, found that 368 people were taken to hospitals due to choking on mochi or other items from 2019 to 2023. Of these, over 90 per cent were over the age of 65. Forty-three of these cases were reported in December and 142 in January, highlighting the significance of the sweet delicacy over the holidays.

In 2023, as many as 64 people were hospitalised with mochi stuck in their throats across Japan, with 58 of them aged 65 or older, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Four women, all in their 80s, choked to death on mochi in 2022. That year, 73 cases of choking on the traditional rice cakes were reported.

Tokyo Fire Department’s data shows that in the past five years, 9.5 per cent of the people taken to hospitals were pronounced dead on arrival, 38.6 per cent were in “imminent danger to life” and another 9.8 per cent were in “grave danger”, as per SCMP. 

Nine people were believed to have died on mochi in 2015.

In 2001, a woman saved her father’s life by using a vacuum cleaner to pull mochi from the 70-year-old man’s throat.

How to eat mochi safely?

Do not bite off more than you can chew. Literally.

Mochi-related accidents are so common that authorities in Japan have laid out guidelines on how to eat the delicacy safely.

Every year, the National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency advise people to cut the rice cakes into smaller pieces. They say not to eat them in a hurry but to chew slowly before swallowing.

A web page of the Tokyo Fire Department suggests people drink tea or soup to moisten their throats before consuming mochi.

Authorities also recommend eating mochi in someone’s presence, as per Japan Today. 

They say people should be aware of first aid techniques that can be applied in case of an emergency.

With inputs from agencies