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Police in Machida, Tokyo, have arrested a 45-year-old man who sped away in his car with a 23-year-old university student still clinging to the car door.
Police said the driver, Yoshitsugu Yamada, has been charged with manslaughter, after the student, Takashi Sasaki, died from his injuries in hospital, NTV reported Thursday.
According to police, the two men had a heated argument at an intersection at around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Sasaki, who was also driving a car, got out and approached Yamada. The two men argued and Sasaki grabbed the driver's seat door of Yamada's car. With Sasaki still holding onto his car, Yamada sped forward dragging him along for some time, witnesses said.
Sasaki was rushed to the hospital where he died an hour later after sustaining blunt cranial trauma, police said.
Yamada was quoted by police as saying Sasaki was threatening him and he drove away because he was scared, NTV reported.
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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Christopher Glen
No matter the case in Japan - if you're the driver and something happens to a "pedestrian" you're in the wrong.
fds
since when did this kid have a right to hang on in the first place?
Boy Next Door
It appears that the driver killed in this case must have a very influential connection from the underground world and that led him to think that he can just manhandle anyone.
StormR
John galt been all around that area, the hookers used to hang out on the south side of the JR station not the north. I am not blind John I can tell you that
John Galt
Go to the north side of Machida and you'll find the punks sakanafish referred to, along with the hookers and yaks, unless you're blind.
The surviving driver was likely honestly in real fear.
wontond
If Sasaki wasn't hung up on the car and could let go any time, then I can't find fault with the driver. What is he supposed to do? Let the much younger man pummel him?
inakaRob
agreed. sounds like this might be a DOUBLE Darwin award. One for death: seriously just let go... pretty simple. And one for Dumbest murder. Seriously: don't drive when someone is clinging onto the car, or at the least STOP when you realize you are KILLING THEM! Hey I could be wrong... but from the amazing reporting of this article that's all we can assume from it.
StormR
sakanafish I too have lived in Machida for 20 years, I used to go out to the bars etc every night, I have never ever seen these Korean punks you speak of.
There are yakuza and some undesirable types lurking around from time to time but if you ignore them they do not trouble you at all
There are violent acts in every corner of the world, I have only ever seen one Japanese vs Japanese fight in the street in 20 years here, I have however seen more white foreigner v white foreigner violence, especially around that god forsaken dump called the hub.
ebisen
Why exactly was he arrested? If someone would he clinching his/her hand on my car's door, I would certainly drive away. If they wouldn't let go, I would drive even further. Am I responsible for the life of my aggressor?
bjohnson23
Re: Sakanafish, why bring ethnicity into the blog when the article doesn't mention anything about yakuza's or where one is descendents from? There was an argument, one party panicked, the other was immature, heated argument, ended up with someone dead. Leave race and ethnicity out of it Japan has many issues already to deal with don't add fuel to where there is no fire.
sakanafish
I have lived in Machida for over 20 years and I have seen my share of violent acts there. Lots of punks as well as "yaks" (yakuza). I was always told by my local friends to steer away from them especially because many of them are of Korean descent. It's like they have something to prove even if it's their fault. I think its the years of abuse the Koreans in Japan have had to endure.....they are like the Jamaican gangs in NY. They will kill someone over a dollar just to make a point, just to prove how wicked they are.
Japan, overall is a very peaceful country however there is a very violent aspect that is usually not exposed.
Frungy
From what's written here this looks like 100% Sasaki's fault.
He got out of his car. He approached the other car. He grabbed the door handle (presumably as a prelude to dragging Yamada out of his car and giving him a beating).
Yamada acted entirely within Japanese law by fleeing his attacker.
Open and close case, Sasaki's death is suicide by stupidity.
Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
I'd do the same..kids today or at least the young of today just snap and lose it...scary...
Disillusioned
My guess would be road rage and it seems the road rager came off second best this time.
descendent
Sounds like a fitting Darwin Award type death.
gogogo
Why would you get out of your car, goto someone elses car, open their door, sounds like the guy was scared and drove away, almost seems like self defence
cleo
From what I saw of this on the news last night, the young man was in a real rage. It sounds like neither of them was thinking straight.
sidesmile
Why didn't he let go sooner??
smithinjapan
Don't know what caused the argument, and I can see why Yamada was afraid, but you don't speed off -- or at least don't continue driving -- if someone is being dragged along.