13:30 JST, May 12, 2026

Why did a high school student on a trip to games for his team have to lose his life? Junior high and high schools across the country, as well as bus operators, must reexamine how they ensure safety during club trips.

On the Ban-Etsu Expressway in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, a minibus carrying 20 members of the soft tennis team from Hokuetsu High School in Niigata City crashed into a guardrail. A third-year male student was thrown from the vehicle and killed, while 18 others, including the driver, suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious.

The high school’s soft tennis team is known to be a powerhouse. The school had asked a company in Niigata Prefecture to operate the bus. On the day of the accident, the team was on its way to the town of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, for practice matches.

After the........

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