crime

Drunk driver arrested over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba

16 Comments

Police in Chiba city have arrested a 47-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in death, and drink driving after he hit and killed a 45-year-old man and kept going.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 2:40 a.m. Sunday in Hanamigawa Ward, Fuji TV reported. Police said Tokuhisa Matsumoto, an electrician, has admitted to hitting Makoto Sugawara and not stopping. About 20 minutes later, Matsumoto said he noticed his his car’s left headlight was broken and went back to the scene. He then called 119 and said he had hit a pedestrian with his car.

Sugawara was taken to hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police quoted Matsumoto as saying he had been drinking a lot of alcohol and that he thought he had hit a guardrail on the road and not a person.

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16 Comments
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I pray for the victim's family and that may he find peace. I thankfully have never encountered drunk drivers in Japan but I wonder if they are strict against DUI's.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Every time I read stories like this, I am always reminded of the double-sided justice system for the rich and famous and the "normies" Remember that AKB singer lady? Same situation (except she didn't kill anyone) but she just got her license taken away for a while. This guy is going to jail where she should be too.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Sir Bently, I would say the "except she didn't kill anyone" part is quite huge in the eyes of the law

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Removal of reasonable drinking and driving limits encourages hit and run. Several other rules and norms in Japan do as well. It would be great if people would stop and check, but the result is too often harsh punishment or scrutiny even if you are not to blame. I once stopped for an injured tanuki. The police were all over me with questions and checking my car for blood. I told them if I had hit the tanuki there is no way I would be anywhere near the spot. I know I would be in for a load of trouble and its not like they were doing anything to save that poor tanuki.

But with people is particularly disturbing how little regard Japanese pedestrians have for their own safety. Wearing dark clothes at night, not bothering to lift their heads up to actually observe the cars around them and not a single thought to maybe sidestep into a safer area for a moment such as behind a pole or even over a guardrail. Ruining their night vision by peering into their smart phone as they walk. Reflective bands and tape are available at every 100 yen shop but so few employ them. As carefully as I drive I have had several seemingly suicidal pedestrians basically pop out of nowhere at night making me take evasive action.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

You can't use a noun to describe another noun

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Or a noun to describe a verb

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

You can't use a noun to describe another noun

Had to put down my coffee cup after I read that and grab my face towel, I was laughing so hard.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Removal of reasonable drinking and driving limits encourages hit and run.

In a country where a goodly percentage of the population is alcohol-intolerant and unable to manage even small amounts of alcohol, 'don't drink and drive' is a reasonable drinking limit.

It's easy to understand, and treats everyone the same.

The driver in this particular case admitted he'd drunk a lot; what 'reasonable drinking and driving limits' do you feel would have encouraged this drunk to stop and not drive on?

When 20 minutes later he realised that he had probably hit someone, he went back and called the emergency services, despite being liable for DUI.

If you drink, don't drive.

If you drive, don't drink.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

It's easy to understand, and treats everyone the same.

By lumping the alcohol intolerant in with those who are quite tolerant??

I don't want to be held to the standards of the lowest common denominator. Do you?

The driver in this particular case admitted he'd drunk a lot;

How much is a lot?

Further, since a little or a lot no longer matters, what is the legal incentive to limit oneself when one knows one is going to drink and drive? Two beers. Five beers. Eight. Its all the same if you have the misfortune of coming across a checkpoint.

When 20 minutes later he realised that he had probably hit someone, he went back and called the emergency services, despite being liable for DUI.

An immediate call to emergency services is vastly preferable as is stopping to render aid. But here in Japan if a person is literally lying in the middle of the road and you hit them, you are liable. So yeah, a pedestrian far drunker than any driver can get a driver with just a buzz in a heap of trouble, or even a totally sober driver. The law keeps piling reasons up for people run, then everyone feigns surprise that people run. Its old, tired and stupid.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I don't want to be held to the standards of the lowest common denominator. Do you?

If the potential drunk drivers are also held to the lowest common denominator, yes I'm fine with that. I have no interest in putting other people's lives and property at risk.

what is the legal incentive to limit oneself when one knows one is going to drink and drive?

Erm... is this a trick question?

The whole point is that it's illegal to drink and drive. Not two beers, not five beers, not a tiny glass of sherry. Don't drink and drive. Don't drive and drink.

It's all the same if you have the misfortune of coming across a checkpoint.

It's all the same if some unsuspecting pedestrian has the misfortune to get in the way of your drunk driving.

a driver with just a buzz

You really don't get it, do you? A driver with just a buzz is unfit to drive.

The law keeps piling reasons up for people run, then everyone feigns surprise that people run. 

Yeah, that applies to all kinds of law-breaking, doesn't it?

People don't report all kinds of crimes they've committed - burglary, child abuse, murder, you name it - because it will get them in trouble with the law. T'would be a lot more convenient for petty criminals if we just scrapped all penalties for vandalism, thieving, raping, killing people. Not fair for all those folk who just want to enjoy their buzz.

On an aside, I have it on good authority (police officers in the family) that the vast majority of hit-and-runners do get caught eventually. And when they are caught, the penalty is much harsher than if they'd stayed at the scene.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I have no interest in putting other people's lives and property at risk.

Everyone's life and property is at risk every single day. The numbers of fatalities over drunk driving in Japan are so low they don't even have their own category and get lumped in with "other". Its been this way since long before no tolerance was introduced. There is zero positive value to picking this nit. In fact, we are already well past the point of negative returns....for us plebs anyway. For the government jerks its all working well though as its useful to shake down the public and also draw attention away from their dire failings. Such as after they introduced zero tolerance they quietly raised the guard rails on the bridge where the kids drown. That was the accident that sparked national outrage. The kids did not die from the impact of a drunk driver. They died because the car went right over a guardrail that was criminally too low for a bridge.

You just are not seeing the big picture is all.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The numbers of fatalities over drunk driving in Japan are so low they don't even have their own category and get lumped in with "other". Its been this way since long before no tolerance was introduced.

Strange then that the NPA has a whole website dedicated to DUI, with graphs showing the decline in fatalities as the law has been made stricter.

DUI fatalities in 1999; 1257. Fatalities in 2019; 176.

https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/insyu/info.html

For the government jerks its all working well though as its useful to shake down the public

What does that even mean? How are you being shaken down? The government jerks would surely be happier to see all of us drinking ourselves silly, filling the coffers with our liquor taxes and enjoying the buzz instead of worrying about their dire failings.

The kids did not die from the impact of a drunk driver. They died because the car went right over a guardrail that was criminally too low for a bridge.

And their car went over the guardrail because a drunken driver smashed into their car.

You just are not seeing the big picture is all.

I see stricter DUI laws means safer roads.

If you must drive, drink soft drinks.

If you must drink, let someone else drive.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"has admitted to hitting Makoto Sugawara and not stopping."

honesty is the best policy, they say.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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