9 die after choking on rice cake over weekend

TOKYO — A 96-year-old man died Monday after a piece of ‘‘mochi’’ rice cake became stuck in his throat at his home in Tokyo, becoming the seventh person, all of whom were men, in Tokyo to die of the same cause during the first three days of the new year, rescue workers said Monday.
In Saitama Prefecture, a 66-year-old woman died Monday a day after she choked on a rice cake during a New Year’s event at a pachinko parlor in Kawaguchi and was hospitalized, police said.
In the city of Saitama, a 75-year-old man died Monday after eating a rice cake at his home, they added.

Mochi is traditionally eaten during the New Year period in Japan