Young woman dies after drinking cup of coffee on first day of new job in Japan

Aika Doheny, 24, from Kilkenny City, Ireland, suffered a suspected allergic reaction to milk in a coffee drink on the first day of her new job in Japan two years ago

A young woman tragically died after suffering a fatal allergic reaction to milk in her coffee on the first day of her new job in Japan, an inquest heard.

Aika Doheny, 24, from Kilkenny City, Ireland, became unwell and collapsed in a toilet after lunch, despite trying to administer an EpiPen and use an inhaler.

The inquest was told that Ms Doheny, who had previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Galway while studying for a masters degree in biomedical science, had travelled to Japan on August 18, 2022. Her mother, Mayumi Doheny, testified that she had accompanied her daughter to Japan to help her settle into her new job.

She confirmed that her daughter was allergic to eggs, dairy products and nuts, and always carried an EpiPen due to her allergies. The inquest heard that Ms Doheny started her new job on September 1, 2022.

Aisling Gannon, the coroner, heard from the mother that she received a call around lunchtime on the day of the incident, informing her that her daughter had suffered an allergic reaction and was being rushed to hospital.

She later received another call telling her that her daughter, Aika, had sadly passed away. The grieving mum revealed that her daughter's heart had been starting and stopping, reports the Irish Mirror.

She expressed her wish to bring Aika back to Ireland and keep her on life support until they could return home. Doctors at St James's Hospital conducted tests on Aika before deciding to switch off her life support machine on the morning of October 21, 2022.

However, the devastated mother decided that life support should be turned off the previous evening, feeling that Aika had already been "through enough". Her daughter was formally pronounced dead at 11.02pm.

Speaking through a Japanese interpreter, the mother expressed surprise that her daughter had suffered an allergic reaction to milk as she would instinctively vomit if she consumed any dairy product. "It was very strange that did not happen this time," she added.

She also stated that she did not believe milk was the cause of the allergic reaction suffered by her daughter. "I knew my daughter for 24 years. She never ordered milk with coffee. She always ordered soya [milk]," she observed.

State pathologist, Heidi Okkers, who conducted a postmortem on the deceased, revealed that Ms Doheny passed away due to complications from an anaphylactic shock, including brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation. Responding to the coroner's queries, Dr Okkers explained that the severity and speed of an anaphylactic shock depend on the intensity of the allergy.

However, she stated it was impossible to determine whether Ms Doheny had suffered an allergic reaction to milk or nuts. The inquest heard that the deceased was formally identified to the police by her brother, Takuya Doheny.

Garda Padraig Wickham testified that he had made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain statements from medical staff in Japan and from the deceased's work colleagues. Garda Wickham mentioned that he had sought help from the Department of Foreign Affairs, embassies, Interpol, and Garda mutual assistance contacts to gather such information.

Coroner Ms Gannon admitted she lacked the legal authority to compel individuals living outside the jurisdiction to provide evidence. She suggested that various parties in Japan might be willing to engage with the deceased's family if they were aware of the inquest's conclusion into her death.

However, Ms Gannon expressed "no sense of optimism" about such material becoming available in the near future.

The coroner revealed that neither she nor the gardai had been granted access to CCTV footage from the restaurant where Ms Doheny fell ill, which her mother had viewed. The inquest was told that the deceased's mother had initially believed her daughter had been murdered after seeing a large file at a Japanese police station, but she no longer held this belief.

Ms Doheny stated that Japanese police had concluded her daughter's death was accidental. The family's GP in Kilkenny, Cormac Behan, informed the inquest that Aika had suffered from severe eczema and asthma since childhood, as well as multiple allergies including eggs, dairy, nuts and fish.

Ms Gannon assumed that a reference to milk and dairy in Japanese medical records was due to information available from those present when Ms Doheny collapsed, suggesting she had consumed a coffee containing milk. However, the coroner noted that Japanese medical staff were aware of her broader range of allergies.

Despite Japanese police concluding the death was accidental, Ms Gannon returned an open verdict, citing a lack of certain information about Ms Doheny's death.