24 Years Since the Ikeda City Tragedy: A Family's Words of 'Grief' and 'Hope' at the Memorial Service, and The Evolving Path of the Safety Business

On March 4th, many people visited "Rainbow Bridge," a memorial facility in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, from early in the morning. It was on that day 24 years ago when the heartbreaking incident occurred at the Osaka Kyoiku University Ikeda Elementary School. The attacker indiscriminately wielded a knife, tragically taking the lives of eight children. This event sent shockwaves through every school in Japan and shattered the myth of absolute safety.

Approximately 300 people, including bereaved families, school staff, and local residents, attended this year's memorial service. They observed a moment of silence and offered flowers. A woman from the bereaved family, one of the attendees, spoke in a quiet voice: "Even after 24 years, I remember my child's smile vividly. We must not let this incident fade from memory. We will continue to speak out so that the same sorrow is never repeated." Her words resonated deeply with everyone present.

In these 24 years, school safety in Japan has changed dramatically. The installation of security cameras has become commonplace, and many schools have implemented controlled gate locking systems and manuals for handling suspicious individuals. However, as someone who has been involved in safety measures in this industry for many years, I am concerned that we still often see 'safety in name only.' For instance, it's not uncommon to find cameras installed but not recording, or manuals in place but lacking practical training exercises.

At this memorial service, what the bereaved families' association once again called for was "enhanced mental health care" and "building a community-wide system to watch over children." The children who survived, some very young at the time, are now adults, living with and confronting their own trauma. The challenge of passing on memories has also become evident, as many of the teachers who experienced the incident have since left the school.

"Don't Forget," Plead the Bereaved Families: Messages from the 24th Year

At the memorial service, several bereaved family members spoke with great effort. Their words collectively conveyed the following wishes.

• Preventing the incident from fading from public memory: "As time passes, we feel society's interest waning. We will never forget, but the challenge is how to pass this on to the next generation."
• The continuous evolution of safety measures: "We want the lessons from that day to be used to create a school environment that can also respond to new threats."
• Attention to invisible wounds: "With more teachers who don't know about the incident, it's crucial to have adults who can notice subtle changes in children."

These voices highlight areas that cannot be resolved simply by improving safety equipment. In other words, a major theme for the future is how to compensate for the vulnerabilities in the 'softer' aspects (human resource development, community, mental support) alongside the development of physical infrastructure.

Business Opportunities in 'Safety': Market Transformation 24 Years On

Over the past 24 years, the market related to school safety has certainly expanded. Demand for hardware such as security cameras, IC card gates, and emergency notification systems remains steady. However, what I'm paying attention to are the stirrings of new business beyond that.

First is the mental health care sector. The trauma of such an incident casts a long shadow not only on the bereaved families but also on local residents and the emergency responders from that time. While there are many corporate mental health services available, counselling and training programs specifically focused on 'critical incident stress' are still scarce. This represents a highly specialised niche market with significant growth potential.

Next is community watch technology. With the ageing population of crime prevention volunteers, there's a growing demand for IT solutions that supplement the 'eyes of the community,' such as AI-powered surveillance cameras and location-sharing apps. For example, services that inform parents in real-time about their children's safety during the commute to and from school are already being adopted by many local governments. However, there's ample room to add new value, such as more advanced risk prediction systems.

Furthermore, there are initiatives to create business models around 'passing on memories.' This could involve creating digital archives of the incident's records and providing them as educational material for schools. Another concept is something like 'memorial tourism,' linking the operation of memorial facilities to regional revitalisation. Due to their high public nature, collaboration with government and fostering a culture of donations will be key, but these ideas are worth considering as a sustainable way to preserve and communicate history.

Of course, the most important aspect of developing such businesses is the balance between 'dignity' and 'profit.' Using a tragic event as mere marketing material is absolutely unforgivable. Building services that are truly useful to society while gaining the understanding of the bereaved families and the community — I am convinced that this is the absolute prerequisite for long-term success in this field.

A Changing Landscape, An Unchanged Vow

Even after the memorial service ended and the attendees left, flowers continued to be offered at "Rainbow Bridge." The memory of that day 24 years ago has not faded; it remains etched as part of this city's landscape.

The form of safety changes with the times. However, the vow to 'never let such a tragedy happen again' is an unchanging principle that all of society must carry forward. The process of realising this vow involves many challenges that require collaboration between the public and private sectors. What can each of us do to ensure this incident does not become just 'the past'? Perhaps continually asking ourselves this question is the true starting point for the safety business.