CHIBA (TR) – A male performer testing wire suspension rigging at a theater at Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu City plunged to his death on Monday, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 10).
At around noon, police and fire crews responded to a distress call after Kazutaka Yoshino, a 38-year-old resident of Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, dropped from a suspended height of about 10 meters to the stage at the Maihama Amphitheater.
Yoshino was rushed to a nearby hospital in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was confirmed dead about one hour later.
At the time of the incident, Yoshino was assisting in the adjusting the speed of descent for the suspension rigging. Chiba Prefectural Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
According to Oriental Land Company, which manages Tokyo Disney Resort, the theater had been leased to Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures. “It is unfortunate that such a thing happened, and we would like to express our condolences to the family,” a representative of the company is quoted by the Asahi Shimbun (Apr. 10). The representative, however, declined to elaborate on what the theater was being used for when Yoshino fell.
Yoshino is a former member of performance troupe Cirque du Soleil. He has also performed in concerts and on television programs.
