Former truck driver sentenced to 7 years in prison for Shinmeishin accident that killed 6 people Tsu District Court

The sentencing hearing for former truck driver Mitsuyo Mizutani (55), from Akitakada City, Hiroshima Prefecture, was held on the 20th at the Tsu District Court, where he was charged with violating the Act on Punishment of Death and Injury by Motor Vehicles (negligent driving causing death) in a multiple accident that killed six people on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture in March of this year. Judge Hiroaki Deguchi said, ``Compared to past negligent driving causing death (cases), this is ranked as the most severe category.It is appropriate to impose the maximum statutory punishment,'' and handed down a sentence of seven years in prison, as requested.

According to prosecutors' arguments, Mizutani drove a large truck on the Shin-Meishin Expressway down line at around 2:18 a.m. on March 20. In the 13 seconds immediately before the accident, the driver stared at his smartphone screen for about 10 seconds trying to take a screenshot of a cooking video on the social networking site TikTok, and then drove distracted while looking for his daily driving report. It is said that the driver did not check the safety of both sides in front of him and rear-ended a convoy of vehicles in traffic jams at approximately 82km/h.

The accident killed five members of the family: office worker Koji Matsumoto (45) from Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, his wife Eriko (42), eldest daughter Rio (11), eldest son Soma (8), and second daughter Ayana (5), as well as Keizo Takamine (56), an organization employee from Soka City, Saitama Prefecture.

In their argument, the prosecution pointed out that ``the driving was comparable to dangerous driving.'' The court asked for seven years in prison, the maximum legal penalty for negligent driving, stating that ``there is a strong need for severe punishment from the standpoint of general prevention.''

The defense argued that there was no explanation for ``driving while driving'', but that the defendant had repeatedly expressed remorse, apologized, and promised not to get his driver's license again, and argued that there was ``no fear that he would reoffend,'' and called for an appropriate sentence.