Man sentenced to 8 years for fatal high-speed accident in Oita Pref, Japan.

OITA – A 23-year-old man was convicted of dangerous driving and sentenced Nov. 28 to eight years in prison for causing a fatal crash in 2021 while driving 194 kilometers per hour – more than three times the legal speed limit.

During the trial before a lay judge at the Oita District Court, prosecutors argued for a conviction for dangerous driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. However, the defense argued that the charge amounted to negligence resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

Prosecutors cited two factors in support of the dangerous driving charge: the high speed, which made the vehicle difficult to control, and the suspect’s reckless driving when approaching another vehicle with the intent to impede it. They stated that driving at a speed of 194 km/h can cause the car to become unstable due to road conditions, increasing the risk of an accident. They also argued that the suspect, who was familiar with the road having driven on it about 30 times, knew his actions could put him in the path of vehicles turning right from the opposite lane.

The defense has countered that the vehicle stayed within its lane at a high rate of speed and argued that the suspect had no specific intent to impede another car.

According to the indictment and other sources, on February 9, 2021, around 11:00 PM, the defendant was driving at a speed of 194 km/h on a prefectural road in Oita City, where the speed limit was 60 km/h. He collided with a vehicle driven by 50-year-old Ken Koyanagi, who was turning right. The crash resulted in Koyanagi’s death due to blood loss.

Initially, the driver was charged without arrest on charges of negligence causing death. However, the charge was upgraded to dangerous driving causing death following protests and a petition from the victim’s family.

The court’s ruling comes amid increased public attention to fatal crashes caused by reckless driving.

(Japanese original by Megu Koyama, Taiki Yamaguchi, Oita Bureau and Emi Izuchi, Kyushu News Department)