Man gets 8-year term for dangerous driving over fatal accident in Japan

29/11/2024 6:25

        A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced a 23-year-old man to eight years in prison for dangerous driving that caused a 2021 fatal accident.
        The defendant drove a car at 194 kilometers per hour, well over the legal limit of 60 kph, when he plowed into a car turning right at an intersection on Feb. 9, 2021, in Oita, southwestern Japan, killing its driver, a 50-year-old man, according to a ruling by the Oita District Court.
        The ruling came after prosecutors upgraded the charge in December 2022, which was changed from negligent driving resulting in death to the more serious dangerous driving causing death.
        The court said the case met the criteria for "uncontrollably high speed" but it did not acknowledge the prosecutors' claim that the driver was trying to prevent the other car from turning right.
        The prosecution had sought a 12-year sentence.
        The defendant's name was withheld by the court.