25 years on, fears of alcohol-linked accidents in Japan linger despite rail safety upgrades

Twenty-five years after the deaths of two rescuers trying to help a drunk passenger at a Tokyo station shocked Japan and spurred safety upgrades, platform doors and other safeguards have reduced alcohol-linked accidents in the capital, but experts say the problem is far from eliminated. “The situation has improved and many stations now have automatic barriers on their platforms to stop people falling onto the tracks,” said Masaki Maezono, a social worker specialising in alcoholism at Kurihama...