This is an robot translation of the ogano climbing community is being sued
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In 2022, a man from Tokyo who crashed and broke both legs while climbing Mt Futago (1166 m) in Ogano, Saitama, a famous climbing spot, filed a lawsuit against the Ogano Climbing Association, which maintains the crag, and the town, claiming that the crag was not properly managed, and seeking compensation and other compensation of 1.65 million yen, The association and the town have filed a lawsuit in the Saitama District Court, Kawagoe branch, demanding compensation and other damages of 1,650,000 yen. The association and others are contesting the case on all fronts. With climbing becoming increasingly popular, the development of the lawsuit, which seeks to hold the association responsible for the management of accidents that occur at the crag, is attracting attention.
The association, established in October 2008, is a general incorporated association that promotes climbing and maintains crags. It is chaired by world-famous climber Yuji Hirayama (54). The town promotes the revitalisation of the town through climbing and has appointed Mr Hirayama as a tourism ambassador.
The accident occurred in the early afternoon of 25 September 2010 at a crag called Candle Rock on Mt Futagoyama Nishidake. The man was 59 years old at the time and a 30-year climbing veteran. A bolt on the crag, to which a rope was attached to support his body, came loose and the man fell approximately 5 metres downwards.
In his complaint, he alleged that the association established the route where the accident occurred and installed the bolt, and that the location and type of buried bolts were inappropriate. It states that the association, which is responsible for the development and rehabilitation of climbing routes on Mt Futago, had a duty of care and duty of management to maintain the safety of the route where the accident occurred. It also states that the association is involved in the activities of the town, among other things.
The first oral arguments were held on 24 August, with the association stating that 'climbing is a dangerous sport. The town submitted a written defence, stating that climbing at Futagoyama is not a town development project.
The man had three operations and was hospitalised for 55 days after the accident, and was out of hospital for two months. He is seeking compensation and other compensation as approximately 1 million yen in medical expenses were paid by his accident insurance.
Hirayama won the overall free-climbing World Cup in 1998 and 2000. He also worked as a TV commentator at the Tokyo Olympics in 2009.
'Not a town-building project'? The association's president is a tourism ambassador.
The plaintiff man is demanding that the Kogano Climbing Association and the town jointly and severally pay compensation. The town claimed in its written answer that it had nothing to do with the association, and has made statements to the same effect at council meetings. However, the history of the association's establishment and its stance of positioning "climbing as a town revitalisation project" raises some questions.
According to the article "Futagoyama Nishidake Regeneration & Development" contributed by Yuji Hirayama in the 90th issue of the specialist magazine "ROCK & SNOW" (published in December 2020), the town councillor, Koya Takahashi, dug up a proposal for town revitalisation through climbing that Hirayama had proposed about 10 years ago, which led to an interview with the mayor, Shintaro Mori. At the town's request, he was appointed as a tourism ambassador, and since May 2006 he has been working with the town to promote the town's revitalisation.
In a May 2007 press release, Mayor Mori also listed 'revitalising the town through climbing' as a new project, citing Mt Futago as an example, and stating that 'Ogano Town can be proud to be known throughout the country as a climbing town'. The paper also stated that the town would redevelop the Shin Yi Kan, a memorial centre for friendship with China, which was given to the town free of charge by the prefecture, as a base facility with the cooperation of Hirayama and others.
Mayor Mori has stated in council meetings (e.g. at the March 2009 regular meeting) that he is aware that the association is a private organisation with no connection to the town, but he attended the association's activity policy briefing in January 2011 and also addressed the meeting. Given this situation, a town official said, "Mr Hirayama is paid a fee for his cooperation in the operation of the Shinjikan, so the town may not be able to say that he has nothing to do with the association. Teruyama Tetsushi
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