Idemitsu Family President and Wife Attacked and Hospitalized Caused by Wild Boar in Gold Course
Shocking scoop! Local police and ambulances were dispatched to the scene, but no public announcement was made even 10 days after the attack!
The attack lasted only 20 minutes.
At around 1:30 p.m. on January 6, a wild boar broke through the perimeter fence of “The Classic Golf Club,” a prestigious golf course in Miyawaka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and entered the course. The boar lunged at an elderly couple, who were playing a round of golf, and seriously injured them.
“The elderly couple was both urgently transported, but the wife suffered more severe injuries. According to eyewitnesses at the scene, it is reported that when they removed her attire for first aid, her back was visibly split open. Employee A, who rushed to help, also sustained lacerations requiring 40 stitches on the calf and thigh of the right leg, and is currently hospitalized.” (Statement from a representative of The Classic Golf Club)
The first photo shows the wild boar that attacked the three, and the second shows Mr. A’s right leg.
The local Nogata police station immediately launched an investigation into the unprecedented tragedy at the prestigious golf course, which had hosted big events such as the Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship, but inexplicably, a week and then 10 days passed and the media still did not report the news. One of Mr. A’s acquaintances was indignant.
“That’s not all. The club has not brought up any discussions about compensation or condolence payments for A. Instead, what they told him was ‘Don’t leak this incident to the outside.’ They apparently did not entertain his request to transfer to a hospital closer to his home due to the considerable distance between his current hospital and residence. It seems they are fully occupied with handling the situation involving the elderly couple, who sustained severe injuries and are considered VIPs.”
According to this acquaintance, the elderly couple who were rushed to the hospital were the president and his wife of a well-known company that is descended from the Idemitsu family, which founded Idemitsu Kosan.
With a VIP being attacked by a wild animal during a round, they may have considered it detrimental to their prestige. The Classic Golf Club acknowledged the fact that the president and his wife from the Idemitsu family were urgently transported and responded as follows.
“Regarding the disclosure of the incident, we will organize the information after the police inquiry, and as soon as the preferences of the affected parties are confirmed, we will make announcements as necessary. We have cautioned our employees not to disclose the names of the affected individuals due to privacy concerns, but there is no intention to conceal the incident itself.”
“For Mr. A, we will handle it as a work-related accident and respond sincerely.” The operating company of the golf course is now being tested against its corporate principles: “A company with sincerity, a company with trust, a company with hope.”
From the February 2 and 9, 2024 issues of FRIDAY
