Tokyo High Court orders ‘mattress protection’ firm to pay $176,000 to dead child’s parents

TOKYO — The Tokyo High Court ruled Nov. 27 that a baby product manufacturer must pay 26.66 million yen (about $176,000) to the parents of a 9-month-old boy who died in an accident involving one of the company’s “mattress protectors.” Designed to prevent sleeping children from falling out of bed.

The parents had initially sought damages of about 93 million yen (about $614,000) from the Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture-based company Katoji Co., arguing that the product’s design and warning labels were flawed and contributed to their son’s death.

In March 2024, the Tokyo District Court ruled that Katoji was liable for 35.77 million yen (about $236,000). However, the high court reduced the amount, citing the partial liability of the parents.

According to the decision, the incident occurred in 2017 when the baby’s body got stuck between the bed protector and the mattress while sleeping at home in Tokyo. Although it was stated on the product’s box and user manual that it was intended for children aged 18 months and above, an age range was not directly stated on the product.

The high court ruled that the design of the mattress protector was not flawed, but found the lack of age warnings on the product problematic. It also ruled that the warning labels were inadequate because they did not clearly state the risks associated with using the mattress protector for infants and toddlers below the intended age range.

The court also concluded that the parents were partially at fault for installing the product in a manner contrary to the user manual.

The 46-year-old father said after the verdict: “I am relieved that the court acknowledged the flaws (in the warning labels). There have been other accidents involving the same mattress protector that resulted in death. I hope this case raises awareness about its potential dangers.”

(Japanese original by Kenji Tatsumi, Tokyo City News Department)