The precious life of a student was lost when a bus carrying him and 19 others from a high school in Niigata city for club activities crashed into a guardrail on the Banetsu expressway in Fukushima Prefecture.

As there has been a number of accidents while students were being transported for club activities, countermeasures are needed to reduce tragic accidents by clarifying the structural background that may have been a contributing factor.

Many of the safety measures implemented at schools to guard against natural disasters, accidents and crimes are likely on the minds of those at the school on a daily basis.

But crisis management for extracurricular activities, including sports clubs, may not be as well thought out.

The education ministry in April issued a notice calling for thorough implementation of safety measures for activities outside of schools.

The notice was issued in the........

© The Asahi Shimbun