Two hit-and-run cases reported in Saitama, Tochigi

This has to be a joke right? "...while he was lying on the street"?? "as hit by a white van at around 4:30 a.m. while she chatting with friends by the road". It is still hit and run, but if I am lying on the street or chatting by the road at 4.30am then I might as well expect trouble.

16 years old and chatting on the street with friends at 4:30am. hmmm, maybe she wanted to get to Juku early

As long as the law states that the driver gets the blame, Hit & run will keep happening.

The information is kind lean, Did the guy have a Heart attack or was it a suicide? Was the girl injured?

JT bites for detail in reporting. Would be nice if they actually cared about this site and the audience who use it. Would love to see someone start us a site to compete and bury them. Then maybe they will try harder.

Why was the guy in the road? Drunk? Sick? Suicidal? My money is on drunk. As for the girl. Chatting with friends could mean just walking along. In any case drivers in Chiba are terrible. I'm surprised there are not bodies piled up by the road side for collection every morning. Seems other places must have a similar collection of drivers who don't seem to understand a few simple points. 1. Roads here are tiny so one needs to be are of space. The spacially challenged should not drive here. 2. Yes your car can go fast and sound speedy, but what is the point of driving like a maniac on a tiny side road? 3. Do stop watching TV and pay attention to driving. 4. Don't drink and drive!

Pedistrians have the ultimate right of way in Japan. You could walk across a busy road and if you get hit, the driver will get blamed. Japanese driving law states that "you must give way to pedistrians". Although I have rarely seen drivers stop at crosswalks where a pedistrian is waiting to cross, except for driving school cars.

Both the drivers above will get blamed for "not paying attention to the road and for speeding".

Japan is right in making drivers accountable to give right of way. But agree this just doesn't happen. At crosswalks in my area seems cars speed up to see if they can hit you.

Japan,

Take alead from US laws. We have sensible laws, where the person at fault is in the wrong. That`s why these hit and run cases are almost unhead of.

Glad i don`t live in crime ridden Saitama , my dangerous crime free US town, makes me feel so safe,compared to when i resided in Japan.

tkoind2: Why was the guy in the road? Drunk?

Should we give him a breathalyzer test?

I hit and ran when on my bicycle. Some drunk ran into the road around 10 p.m as I was cycling home from karate. I took a hard fall so I didn't feel guilty about lifting his wallet (containing 60,000 yen) and buying myself a new bicycle.

but they guy was obviously not a pedestrian - he was lying in the street?!?!?!?!?!?!? the word pedestrian means "person on foot. walking." as for the 16 year old - what the heck was she doing out chatting with friends at 4:30 a.m. i have been told that there is a curfew in japan for underage kids. sorry, but i feel for the drivers.

as for the 16 year old - what the heck was she doing out chatting with friends at 4:30 a.m.

She and her friends had been waking up the neighborhood with their fireworks. Apparently, she's as strong as the Terminator - she suffered no injuries.

Good grief, what was he doing lying in the street?

I bet this guy was drunk and passed out; still, it's no excuse for running over the poor guy.

Hey!! Japan , wake up your are a crime ridden society of mentally ill and misfits. These crimes are becoming more prevelant in Japan. Too many innocents paying the price for a lawless society. The US isso much safer than Japan, you can walk alone at night and feel safe. whatever happened to safety Japan?

I hit and ran when on my bicycle. Some drunk ran into the road around 10 p.m as I was cycling home from karate. I took a hard fall so I didn't feel guilty about lifting his wallet (containing 60,000 yen) and buying myself a new bicycle

Haha!! Nice! hope you were ok

i love those american comment safe usa. walk in central park or take the late subway. realy safe.

i could sleep at night at yoyogi park at nothing would happen (well maybe the guards would kick me out) i just have to stay clear from the roads

SAITAMA PARTY PEOPLE

It's scary riding a bicycle in Saitama. Luckly I never gotten into a bicycle accident yet !!!!!

I live in the center of a major farming community. Farms surrounding the place. Their are two ways of getting out The main road or the farm road. Both are highly dangerous.

You expect the farm roads to be alittle safer because less traffic.No No No　！！！！ You are wrong !!!! These small farm roads are in bad condition and have huge rocks and unstable. But that doesn't stop　the retarded speedo driver

They speed so fast going 40 kmh

They do not care if they run someone over or not.

They do not care. Sometimes I see their faces they get angry because you ( the bicyclist) ( the pedstrian ) are in their way.

It's summer vacation She has the right to talk anywhere except on the street. COMMON SENSE

But it is vacation time for high school kids.

If you never stayed out past your curfew. You are WERID.

I stayed out past curfew. I even asked my parents if I can stay out late.

So it really doesn't matter what time it was. As long as the teenager wasn't in the middle of the road.

"Kana Ishikawa, 16, was hit by a white van at around 4:30 a.m. while she chatting with friends by the road."

16 year old female chatting with friends by the road ? Not much left to say is there.

LOL@ the US being safer than here.

I can understand how the driver hit the man on the road, but the girl on the street... not enough info. Just the other night I was driving home from a festival near by my younger brother and friends were on the road with their hanabi... I didn't see them at first because roads are so narrow and have many sharp bends.A lot of the times people have their garden hedges over taking the road... It's very frustrating so i can understand how people get hit.