Four years after Kindergarten Makinohara's death, father talks about his feelings: ``I think about China every day.''

In 2022, Chinana Kawamoto (3 years old) died after being left behind on the school bus at Kawasaki Kindergarten, an accredited nursery school in Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture.Her father (42) spoke to the press on the 4th and expressed his feelings, saying, ``I think about China every day.'' Five days will mark four years since the incident occurred.

On September 5, 2022, Chinana was left alone on a school bus for about five hours under the scorching sun and died of heatstroke.

His father confessed his heart-wrenching thoughts, saying, ``It was impossible for him to escape on his own.When I think of all the hard work he did, using all his wits, taking off his clothes, and drinking all the barley tea, I feel a pang in my heart.'' The feeling of not being able to help them persists, and every day they put their hands together at the Buddhist altar and offer barley tea and fruit.

My second daughter turned 4 this year, exceeding Chinana's age at the time. He revealed that he sometimes puts his hands together in a photo of his sister and says, "Hey."

In July 2024, the Shizuoka District Court convicted the school's then-principal and homeroom teacher of neglecting their duty of care to ensure safety.

In January 2025, the child's father filed a lawsuit against the school's operating corporation, Haibara Gakuen, seeking compensation for damages.