A woman dies of suffocation with a mochi rice cake as a fatal New Year’s Eve

A woman died and six other people were hospitalized in Tokyo after choking on mochi, a chewy rice cake that in recent years has killed and hospitalized hundreds of people in Japan, where it is often eaten to celebrate the new year.

Seven elderly men and women were hospitalized after choking on mochi in the first three days of 2026, Japan Today reported, citing the Tokyo Fire Department. One of them, a woman in her 80s, died after choking on daifuku (mochi stuffed with sweet fillings) at her home in Tokyo’s Minato district about an hour after midnight on Jan. 1, the department said.

Authorities in Japan warn the public each year about the choking risk posed by mochi, a thick cake made of sweet rice traditionally served to ring in the new year. Last January, two people died and seven other people were hospitalized after choking on the candy.

Older people are particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by soggy cake, and Japan has one of the The oldest populations in the world.. In the past five years, 338 people have been rushed to the hospital after choking on mochi or other foods, and more than 90% of them were 65 years old or older, according to statistics updated last month by the Tokyo Fire Department. More than half of those hospitalizations (177) occurred in January and December, when mochi is most frequently served.

Authorities have offered tips to avoid mochi-related incidents, such as chewing slowly, cutting the cake into small pieces and moistening your throat with tea or soup before eating it.

Mochi is a staple of the Japanese New Year festive menu and is often eaten in a tasty soup called ozoni. Emily Anderson, curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, told “News Sunday Morning” that New Year’s Day is the most important holiday in Japan, and rice cake is an integral part of the celebration.

“Eating mochi is a really important part of the family’s biggest day,” she said.

But glutinous cakes can easily get stuck in people’s throats, restricting breathing and sometimes causing death.

In 2022, four women died from choking on rice cakes and another 12 people were hospitalized. In 2015, Nine people are believed to have died. participating in the annual culinary tradition.

In 2001, a woman allegedly saved her father’s life when she used a vacuum cleaner to remove mochi from his throat.