Police in Tokyo have arrested a 53-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in death after he hit and killed a 12-year-old boy riding a bicycle.
According to police, the incident occurred near an intersection at around 11:55 a.m. on Thursday in Edogawa Ward, Fuji TV reported. The boy, Yota Nenoi, was riding his bike on a crossing on National Route 14 when he was hit by a car that kept going. The boy was taken to hospital, with a fractured skull, but died shortly after arrival.
The driver of the car, Hiroshi Shibuya, went to a friend's house in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, where he was taken into custody after his friend persuaded him to contact police.
Police said Shibuya has admitted to the charge. He was quoted as saying he was on his way to go fishing and that he didn’t notice the boy. He said he kept going because he panicked.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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smithinjapan
A natural reaction, to panic, but fleeing as such is where the line between human being and cowardly animal is drawn. At least his friend could persuade him to turn himself in. RIP to the boy.
Vince Black
Poor little boy and his family. I see heaps of kids out rising around enjoying their break.
This loser better be locked up for a long long time.
zatoizugoodo
One thing I'm teaching my kid is to never ever trust drivers. I can't understand why Japanese just drive right through red lights and pay no heed to pedestrians/cyclists in crosswalks.
Dinesh
Why Japanese people always this pedestrians are priority in roads ?? They don’t even care whether car is there or not.. like a Indian cow they cross the road..
3RENSHO
The driver of the car, Hiroshi Shibuya was on his way to go fishing? OK then, a perfectly valid excuse for blowing through a red signal light! Fish are of course more important than the lives of innocent pedestrians (sarcasm)...
Steelfine
Folks need to be taught when they renew their licenses that stopping to help can save a life. Ignoring an injury you caused should also lead to manslaughter charges.
Do the hustle
On a mission to go fishin’. To leave the scene of an accident is lowest cowardly act anybody could make, especially when he’s just knocked a kid off his bike.
One has to wonder if the 12 year old would have survived if was wearing a helmet. The law in Japan is for all kids under 13 years old to wear cycling helmets, not that anybody would notice.
SillyMe
No mention of red light.
Besides, IF the driver ran a red, then the bike did too. The pedestrian right of way stops on their red and the car has right as they will still be green. That is how it works here, no?
Speed
Maybe because the police in this country are nowhere to be found?
mmwkdw
Sadness for the Family involved.
Was the young boy wearing a cycle helmet ?
Mr Kipling
There is no indication that anyone went through a red light.
Those thinking that those flimsy helmets worn by Jr high school students are of any protection at all are very much mistaken.
Dinesh
In news they confirmed now !! It was red light and he ignored it ..
WilliB
SillyMe:
What? I can´t figure out what you are trying to say here. Besides, since when is a bicycle rider a pedestrian?
Lorem ipsum
If that's the case then the driver is a dirty, selfish and negligent scumbag of the highest order. But how can you expect someone like him to respect others when he can't get even his own priorities straight: going fishing when you should be staying home, and going fishing when you're unemployed and should be finding a job! Yeah, let him perish in jail.
Mirchy
Maybe my comment does not fall under this section, but... where I took the car licence exam, it is mandatory to check the sidewalk or bike path in the direction you are turning (if there is a pedestrian crossing). If you miss this on the exam drive, you did not pass the exam.
R.I.P. little boy.
Strangerland
I'm not sure how you come to this conclusion, but I can think of a couple of scenarios where the above logic is faulty.
The easiest one being that the bike was crossing perpendicular to the car, and it was green for the bike, red for the car.
Strangerland
What if he just didn't see it? How would making a mistake make him dirty, selfish, or a scumbag? Maybe he's clean, giving, and a nice guy, who got distracted or got the light in his eye or something.
Luddite
So many drivers ignore red lights.
Strangerland
Yes it does.
People who don't speak or read Japanese don't realize that this is how news is reported in Japan. In the west, our news stories tell about the series of events that lead up to the incident. In Japan (and indeed Asia), they have more of a concern about the circumstance of the accused, what their personal situation was, and where they were employed.
Sure it seems weird to westerners, but leaving it out would feel weird to the Japanese. And remember which country's news you're reading here.
Disillusioned
In the west? I'm surprised to see such a naive generalisation.
kurisupisu
Maybe, the law should change to require cyclists to dismount when crossing roads here.
I’ve had cyclists ride at very high speeds onto crossings in front of me and this doesn’t allow drivers enough time to react.
Chip Star
Fair enough, but what purpose does it serve? What purpose does it serve to advertise everyone’s age?
3RENSHO
The accident occurred in Edogawa City on Route 14, southwest of Edogawa Station and directly in front of Edogawa Police Box. The Edo River, where the suspect was going to fish, is located not more than 300 metres distant. The suspect vehicle was traveling eastbound and struck the victim in the pedestrian crossing. The victim's bicycle came to rest some 10 metres further east in the traffic lane. Judging from the extensive damage to both the bicycle and the vehicle, it was moving at a considerable speed. Video taken from Asahi News helicopter shows there is a pedestrian bridge over the intersection.