Ex-truck driver sentenced to 7 years in prison 'one of the most severe cases ever' - Shinmeishin 6 people killed at Tsu District Court

The Tsu District Court handed down the verdict on the 20th for Mizutoyo Mizutani (55), a former truck driver who was charged with violating the Motor Vehicle Driving Punishment Act (negligent driving causing death) for rear-ending a passenger car with a large truck on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, killing six people, including three children, in March. Judge Hiroaki Deguchi sentenced him to seven years in prison, calling it ``the most severe case compared to past cases of causing death due to negligent driving.''

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Judge Deguchi pointed out that the defendant failed to check his safety by looking at his smartphone for more than 10 seconds while driving on the expressway in order to save the video he was watching on his smartphone. ``This was truly careless driving with no regard for the driver's responsibility or the risk of an accident.The negligence was serious and deserves severe criticism.''

The court went on to state, ``There is no fault of the victims, and the consequences are extremely painful and serious. We can only imagine the pain and regret they must feel as their future lives were cut short.'' The court concluded that ``Even if we fully take into account the circumstances favorable to the defendant, such as the fact that he has shown remorse, it is appropriate to impose the maximum statutory penalty.''

According to the ruling, in the early hours of March 20, Mizutani was driving a truck on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama City at approximately 82 km/h, exceeding the speed limit, while looking at his smartphone. The car collided with a traffic convoy, killing a total of six people: Keizo Takamine, then 56, an organization employee from Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, and Koji Matsumoto, 45, a company employee from Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and a family of five.