A tragic incident at a nursing home in Osaka has left a man in his 70s dead after he was placed in a bath with water heated to more than 50°C. Police have arrested a caregiver in his 30s, identified as Yuta Miyake, who insists the death was accidental and caused by a mistake while adjusting the water temperature.
According to Japanese media reports, the incident occurred in June when Miyake was assisting the elderly man, who was partially paralyzed and required special bathing equipment, including a chair with straps and a lift. Autopsy results revealed that over 70% of the man’s body sustained severe burns. His cause of death was determined to be sepsis brought on by the thermal injuries.
Investigations showed that the bathwater had exceeded 50°C, and the man had been left soaking for several minutes. Lawyers representing the facility said Miyake was not a full-time staff member but a temporary worker sent through an agency. The fatal incident happened on only his second day on the job.
Miyake told investigators: “While adjusting the temperature, I accidentally made the water too hot. It was so hot that I immediately pulled my hand back. After moving the man to another room, I tried to bring the water down to a safe level.” Authorities also discovered that a safety device designed to prevent dangerously high temperatures had been disabled.
The caregiver said he never intended to harm the resident, and that at the time of the accident, he was in the changing room preparing clothing, which delayed his response. He has since apologized to the victim’s family.
The nursing home issued a statement expressing “deep regret and apologies to the victim and his family.” The management added that compensation procedures are underway and pledged to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent such incidents in the future.
