{
  "id": 17749959,
  "title": "Phone booth set up in Hokkaido offers a place to speak to lost loved ones",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/phone-booth-set-up-in-hokkaido-offers-a-place-to-speak-to-lost-loved",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T05:22:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/11/02/japan/society/hokkaido-shiretoko-boat-accident-memorial/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A telephone booth, dubbed the \"Ocean Phone,\" has been erected along the coast of Rausu in Hokkaido to provide a space for bereaved families to speak with loved ones who perished in the 2022 sinking of the tourist boat Kazu I. The incident occurred off the Shiretoko Peninsula, resulting in the deaths of 20 passengers and crew members, with six others still missing. The booth, installed by 54-year-old Obihiro resident, offers a wooden telephone, chair, and table, allowing visitors to communicate with the deceased. The idea was proposed by local fisherman Kenji Sakurai, who had been volunteering in search efforts following the tragedy. The booth, characterized by its blue roof and white exterior, is adorned with colors reminiscent of the sky and features wooden railway tracks leading to the sea, in memory of a son who enjoyed trains. Sakurai expressed his hope that the installation would offer a quiet place for families to remember their lost loved ones by the Shiretoko sea.",
  "summary": "The 2022 sinking of a tourist boat off Hokkaido left 20 passengers and crew members dead and six others unaccounted for.",
  "key_points": [
    "\"Ocean Phone\" erected in Rausu, Hokkaido for bereaved families.",
    "Wooden telephone, chair, and table available for communication.",
    "Installed by 54-year-old fisherman Kenji Sakurai after tragedy."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The installation provides a dedicated space for grieving families to process their loss, turning a site of tragedy into a communal landscape for remembrance and quiet reflection.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}