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OSAKA - A series of cases involving foreign substances being placed in personal water bottles at workplaces and schools has raised concerns over drink safety in Japan, driving demand for bottles that can only be opened using a registered fingerprint and prompting schools to strengthen measures against tampering. Water bottles have become an everyday item for many people, particularly during Japan's intensely hot summers, with data showing an ownership rate of 74%. However, several incidents have highlighted the risk of bottles being tampered with when left unattended. A 46-year-old man, Junya Fukumoto, was arrested on August 20 on suspicion of damaging property by placing a drug in the water bottle of a female colleague in her 50s, making the bottle unusable. Fukumoto has denied the allegation, saying, "I have absolutely no recollection of doing this." According to police, the woman had repeatedly complained of feeling unwell after drinking from a bottle she brought to work since around January. She experienced health problems on seven occasions and at one point was involved in a traffic accident after becoming ill while driving. Fukumoto reportedly helped the woman each time she became sick and sometimes drove her home. Another colleague became suspicious of the circumstances. After seeing Fukumoto leave the room where a refrigerator was located, the colleague checked the woman's bottle and found a whitish sediment at the bottom. Tests detected a drug capable of causing impaired consciousness. Police arrested Fukumoto after his prescription history and other evidence strengthened suspicions that he was responsible. Malicious tampering with water bottles has also occurred at schools. Last week, a high school teacher in Gunma Prefecture was dismissed as a disciplinary measure after putting a foreign substance into a student's water bottle. The Gunma Prefectural Board of Education said, "We have described it as a foreign substance, but it was urine." In 2024, children at two elementary schools in Tokyo's Suginami Ward noticed an unusual taste after drinking water from their bottles and spat it out. Some schools had already introduced measures to reduce the risk of tampering. At an elementary school in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, students generally place their water bottles together in baskets at the back of the classroom. Classrooms are locked when students leave for lessons elsewhere. Principal Masaaki Hirooka said the school deliberately stores the bottles in places where many people can see them. "The children put their water bottles in these baskets. There is a danger not only of foreign substances being put in them, but also of suspicious people entering without permission, so we try to store them somewhere where there are many eyes watching." The school adjusts the rules during periods of extreme heat so children can drink water quickly when necessary. "During hot weather, teachers make adjustments such as having children keep their bottles near their seats so they can hydrate immediately, while watching the condition of each child," Hirooka said. Manufacturers are also responding by incorporating security directly into water bottles. Hasluck, a manufacturer in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, has developed a bottle called Seamon that uses fingerprint authentication to control access. Company President Masashi Yamaguchi demonstrated the system, saying, "When I place my finger here, the lid opens. If I use a different finger, it does not open." The bottle can only be opened with a previously registered fingerprint, and the entire lid cannot be removed unless fingerprint authentication is successfully completed. The product was developed in response to repeated cases of foreign substances being put into water bottles. The company has received inquiries from parents as well as athletes concerned about doping risks. Domestic sales have exceeded 20,000 bottles less than a year after the product went on sale. "I don't think water bottles should normally need fingerprint authentication," Yamaguchi said. "But in order to protect ourselves, we may begin seeing more products with these kinds of functions, not just water bottles." Source: KTV NEWS