Hotel New Japan fire

Hotel New Japan fire (Japanese language: ホテルニュージャパン火災) was a fire accident that occurred on 8 February 1982 at the Hotel New Japan in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The accident killed 33 people.

Overview

The fire broke out at 3:24 a.m. on 8 February 1982. Firefighting, centered on the 9th and 10th floors, continued for nine hours, until after 12:30 p.m. the same day. It was a major disaster that resulted in 33 deaths (12 citizens of the Republic of China, 11 of Japan, 8 of South Korea, 1 of the United States, and 1 of the United Kingdom¹) and 34 injuries, including hotel guests. According to an investigation by the Tokyo Fire Department, the cause of ignition was a cigarette smoked by a British male guest who had been staying in Room 938 on the 9th floor and fell asleep. Many people died directly from the flames in the corridors, but 13 people also died after jumping from windows to escape smoke, including toxic gas². Among the survivors on the 9th and 10th floors, some used sheets as ropes to descend from the windows to lower floors, and others were rescued by firefighters.

It was announced that the extent of the fire's spread was due to a combination of factors: the Hotel New Japan repeatedly ignored guidance from fire authorities and failed to properly install fire protection equipment such as sprinklers; the fire alarm and hotel public address system were malfunctioning; the small number of employees and lack of training led to inadequate initial response; and there was a lack of fire prevention equipment in guest rooms.

The fire ignited at 3:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time and, until it was extinguished at 12:36 p.m., burned the city center for about nine hours, which was under a dry-weather advisory. Of the 442 guests that day, 103 were staying on the 9th and 10th floors, most of whom were travelers from the Republic of China or South Korea visiting for the (61 people).