Motorcyclist dies, school girl passenger injured after police chase in Yokohama

Monday 28th July, 10:55 AM JST

KANAGAWA —

A motorcyclist died and his school girl passenger was injured after a police chase in Yokohama on Sunday morning, police said Monday.

Kotaro Iha, 23, died after he crashed his motorbike into a car during a police chase around 7:25 a.m. A 14-year-old school girl who was on the bike with him suffered injuries to her legs. Police said the chase began after Iha ran a red light.

Latest 15 of 26 Total Comments Show All

bamboohat at 01:56 PM JST - 28th July

Damn, if this was the states, the family of the dead guy AND the family of the girl (assuming they are different) would be suing the police for chasing them to their death (assuming the police were physically right behind the guy.)

In california at least, when there is a chase, the cops just follow the guy, (not chase him), use their radio's and funnel him into a place where they can just wait him out. Not that difficult.
Proffessor at 02:04 PM JST - 28th July

Kawaiitenshi,

Speculating is what goes on in these blogs and you are doing just that too. "IMO the deceased could have been a brother of the girl." or "Perhaps he thought he could make it, didn't see the police... and panicked."

Welcome to the world of bloggers.....
Altria at 02:05 PM JST - 28th July

Running away from police with an underage girl on the back of his scooter?

What an idiot.
jammer at 02:06 PM JST - 28th July

Hate to break that self righteous bubble of yours, but the story was posted on JT with the sole intention to have people comment on it. What's the point in keeping comments to ourselves? This site is rife with speculating and theorizing. Keeping opinions to ourselves defeats the whole purpose here.

The guy likely ran because he feared the consequences of his actions. He thought that by running he could get away with breaking the law. Who knows what would have happened, maybe they just wanted to give him a warning? This guys actions are the epitome of selfishness. To put your own life in danger is one thing, but to put others lives in danger just so that you can get away with doing something everyone agrees is wrong - shouldnt garner sympathy. Of course may he RIP, but it didnt have to end like it did. People here have to be accountable for their actions at all times. Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.
taiko666 at 02:30 PM JST - 28th July

The biker sounds like an imbecile, but the police, who as ever should know better, have no business endangering the life of his passenger by chasing him.

As for the typical Japanese city biker, with no eye protection, a pudding bowl helmet hanging down the back of his neck, puffing on a fag while chatting to his mini-skirted girl on the back, and a road manner that seems to suggest he has a death wish... god knows how they get away with it most of the time. Is there no road safety education in Japan?
marvenp at 02:49 PM JST - 28th July

kawaiitenshi you have to be Japanese because only a naive Japanese person would come to the conclusions that you've come to. The norm in Japan is that YES, many J-men date young under aged girls in this country and YES they are certainly many bosozoku (not sure if I'm saying it right) who do things like run red lights and then try to outrun the police. As this is the norm, your assumptions are based on the exception to the rule. So if this guy was innocently driving his young sister to school and just happen to be in a rush running a red light, but generally of good character until the police start chasing him, then it would be a first. Even putting it all together in a sentence sounds absurd.

And the reason why I say you must be Japanese is because that is also a Japanese norm, whenever a Japanese does something or is suspected of doing something wrong in this country, Japanese people always want to sweep it under the carpet, rationalize it, live in denial and/or blame it on the foreigners. It's the reason why things never change and the reason why they are getting worse.

As Japanese, you can no longer wish your crime, HIV epidemic, child abuse, high suicide rate, rape, pedophilia etc... away, it's time to admit there's a problem and start taking steps to deal with. The more you try to deny it, the worse these problems will get until you eventually drown in your own deceit.

As far as this story is concerned, I think the police also have responsibility for this guy's death. They should have broken off pursuit when things began to look dangerous. My father is a retired police officer and I know that in America, the police will pull back if they think the person they are chasing is in danger of hurting himself and/or others. But also typical Japanese behavior is the lack of concern for human life.
skipthesong at 02:51 PM JST - 28th July

7:45 on a Sunday morning - very few people are just waking up with a 14 year old to have a pleasure ride on a bike. I usually stay these summer weekends at my wife's second house in Shonan area. I hear so many of the Bozosokus that all I can do is shake my head when I look at what they are not only doing, but what they are doing it on, crappy bikes that really only make a lot of noise. I have witnessed a lot of possible accidents with them coming head on with car and yes with young girls on the back.

Before anyone claims the police should have, or could have done something different is far from the point. The point is you don't become a Bozo on a bike. Yes, the article doesn't say, but I'll bet my cash on it.

Oh, and for an adult to have a 14 year old on his bike sounds familiar to a very highly publicized case concerning an American where people went off the deep end. At least he only kissed the girl, he didn't harm her.
marvenp at 03:02 PM JST - 28th July

Furthermore, IMO if all the guy was guilty of was running a red light I think he would have stopped for the police. Guilty people run plain & simple. He was obviously guilty of something more than a simple traffic violation to prompt him to try and outrun the police. In 20 years of living in Japan, I've definitely been pulled over by the police on my bike and in my car (both extremely fast) but attempting to outrun them has never been a thought on my mind.

Now I'm not saying I was innocent, I've paid my share of fines, what I'm saying is I wasn't guilty enough of something so bad to cause me to panic and try and outrun them. So please don't make excuses for this guy. He was guilty of something and his actions prove it.
Smythe at 04:17 PM JST - 28th July

One of the problems I see, is not only did the rider not stopping as the police demanded, but probably the young woman was not with proper protective gear & this is something I note in my area of Cdn., AND if he spills then so often the improperly pillion rider is injured. Also to a female the idea of having road rashes that will show up in future years-----that is really to much.

As for the age of the girl, then so much will depend upon the ways of the Japanese laws be he in the wrong, why at such a strange hour & so much more.
marvenp at 04:32 PM JST - 28th July

As for the typical Japanese city biker, with no eye protection, a pudding bowl helmet hanging down the back of his neck, puffing on a fag while chatting to his mini-skirted girl on the back, and a road manner that seems to suggest he has a death wish... god knows how they get away with it most of the time. Is there no road safety education in Japan?

Yeah, but apparently it's only for us "unruly foreigners". Has anyone here ever tried taking the Japanese driver's license test? An absolute joke. The questions are strangely worded in English so that they don't make any sense at all, and when me and several other examinees pointed that out to the non-English speaking Japanese test examiner, he shouted "preposterous" and quickly dismissed us as idiots even though as an American, I'm a native English speaker.

The questions on the test made about as much sense as some of the stupid crap (in English) you read in Japanese T-Shirts, only worse. They are designed to trick you into failing rather than test your knowledge of Japanese traffic laws. The whole process is rather stupid.
marvenp at 04:39 PM JST - 28th July

Oh yeah and at 7:45 AM on a Sunday morning? More-than-likely coming from a Love Hotel than going to school. Besides there's no school on Sunday in Japan.
sensei258 at 06:06 PM JST - 28th July

What the hell is a 14 year old girl doing with a 23 year old guy anyway? Hope he enjoyed his time with her, and hope it was worth dying for. Glad she will be okay, it's a hard lesson for her.
MeanRingo at 08:49 PM JST - 28th July

kawaiitenshi... when hearing the sounds of hooves think horses, not zebras. I mean, sure, it could be that this was just some innocent story of a young guy giving his little sister a ride to school because he knew getting her to her summer enrichment program was a top priority. It is also possible that the young motorcyclist didn't even see the red light (or the police sirens) because he was so intent on getting his charge to the proper authority where she could be taught the proper moral conduct becoming of young Japanese girls. All things are possible... but watch out you don't step in any zebra poop.
delitachan at 11:40 PM JST - 28th July

Another senseless tragedy shakes head. I think what's more important here is why the guy had to risk his life just to avoid a speeding ticket, thus endangering the girl he was with as well. Doesn't matter if it's an underaged girl or not.
nisegaijin at 12:22 PM JST - 29th July

They both should have died.
I think they are bosozoku and girl is high school drop out. They guy probably stole the bike anyway. Genetic cleansing. Thanks to police for filtering out the rubbish. Having said that, if this biker had more skill than a drunk monkey, he could have gotten away easily. Unless he was chased by biker cop.