Woman chokes to death on mochi rice cake as fatal New Year's trend continues in Japan
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 Ward about an hour after midnight on Jan. 1, the department said.
Authorities in Japan warn the public every year about the choking hazards of mochi, a thick cake made from sweet rice that's traditionally served to ring in the new year. Last January, two people died and seven other people were hospitalized after choking on the treat.
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the risks presented by the doughy cake, and Japan has one of the world's oldest populations. Over the past five years, 338 people have been rushed to the hospital after choking on mochi or other foods, and over 90% of them were aged 65 or older, according to statistics updated last month by the Tokyo Fire Department. More than half of those hospitalizations — 177 — have occurred in January and December, when mochi is most often served.
Authorities have offered tips for avoiding mochi-related incidents, including 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's holiday menu and is often eaten in a savory soup called ozoni. Emily Anderson, a curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, told "CBS Sunday Morning" that New Year's Day is the biggest holiday in Japan, and the rice cake is an integral part of celebrating.
"Eating mochi is a really important part of the most important family-oriented day," she said.
But the glutinous cakes can easily get stuck in people's throats, restricting breathing — and sometimes causing death.
In 2022, four women choked to death on the rice cakes and 12 other people were hospitalized. In 2015, nine people were believed to have died taking part in the annual culinary tradition.
In 2001, a woman reportedly saved her father's life when she used a vacuum cleaner to dislodge mochi from his throat.