An Australian woman has died in a tragic ski resort accident while on a working holiday in Japan.

Brooke Day, 22, was snowboarding and had caught the chairlift at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, in the Nagano Prefecture, on Friday when she became stuck.

Tsugaike Mountain Resort chief executive Tsuneo Kubo said the lift buckle became tangled with her backpack while she was trying to get off.

Ms Day was then dragged along as the lift turned in the opposite direction. 

It’s understood the backpack could not be swiftly removed from Ms Day’s body as the chest strap remained fastened. 

A worker pressed an emergency button, bringing the chairlift to a stop.

Unfortunately, Ms Day is understood to have gone into cardiac arrest before she was rushed to hospital.

She was confirmed dead on Sunday. 

Brooke Day (above) became stuck on a chairlift at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, Japan, on Friday

Tsugaike Mountain Resort (above) confirmed the tragic incident and extended its condolences to Ms Day’s family 

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the woman’s family was being provided with assistance.

‘We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,’ the spokesperson said.

‘Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.’

Mr Kubo also extended his condolences to the ‘bereaved family’.

‘We will continue to fully cooperate with the police and related agencies in their investigations,’ he said.

Local police are investigating the incident and the resort has launched its own safety review. 

The Tsuga No. 2 pair fixed-grip chairlift is capable of transporting 1,000 people an hour and moves at 2.5m per second.

The lift was closed on Saturday. 

Ms Day had tried to get off the life but got caught and was dragged by her backpack as the straps tightened around her chest (the resort ticket counter is pictured above)

It’s understood the chairlift safety belt buckle became stuck on Ms Day’s backpack

Ms Day spent a year working as a physio receptionist in Hukuba before the accident at the ski resort

Ms Day, from the Sunshine Coast, had spent at least a year working at a physio clinic receptionist in Hakuba, which is about 8km south of the ski resort.

She described herself as a social person who enjoyed ‘getting to know the patients and making them feel welcome and seen’.

Japanese media previously misnamed the Australian as Ella Day Brooke, which it has since amended to Brooke Day.

The incident is just weeks after a young boy, 5, died at a ski resort when his arm became trapped in a magic carpet ski lift in northern Japan.

Japan is one of the favourite foreign locations Australian holidaymakers, with visitor numbers steadily rising.

More than one million Australian tourists made the trip in 2025, which was a 15 per cent jump compared to 2024.