Taxi driver arrested over fatal hit-and-run in Kanagawa

Thursday 12th February, 10:14 AM JST

KANAGAWA —

A 63-year-old taxi driver was arrested for vehicular manslaughter on Thursday, accused of hitting a man with his taxi early Wednesday morning and leaving the scene in Ebina City.

Police received a call from a passing truck driver at about 1.30 a.m. Wednesday, saying there was a man lying on the road. The man, identified as nearby resident Yutaka Murakami, 37, had tire marks on his face and was bleeding from the head. He was rushed to hospital, but died shortly after.

Police later received information from someone who said they saw a taxi in the area around the same time. Police identified the driver on Wednesday via the taxi company’s GPS records and arrested the driver, Sadao Hoshikawa, early Thursday. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter after police viewed footage of the incident recorded by the video camera installed in the taxi.

Hoshikawa has denied the hit-and-run allegation. He told police that he was on his way back to the nearest station after dropping off a customer, when he hit a tall dark object. He was quoted as saying that he did not think it was a person.

Kyodo News Service

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Latest 15 of 25 Total Comments Show All

noirgaijin at 12:34 PM JST - 12th February

The one possible issue missed by all here as well as the media is; DUI/DWI? I have gotten into a taxi and have smelled booze, but in most cases beleived it to be the last person in the taxi before me. Most H/R was a person trying to sober up before turning themselves in or being captured.
whitepocky at 12:57 PM JST - 12th February

The one possible issue missed by all here as well as the media is; Driving Under the Influence!!

Considering there is no information with regards to the deceased, it's a bit hard to plant all the blame on the taxi driver!! What if the individual who was killed was drunk and suddenly stumbled into the path of the taxi. Too little information to start grabbing at straws don't you think??
mindovermatter at 01:36 PM JST - 12th February

This case sounds like the Bumbling Bicycle Police actually did their correctly, the first time, and did a rather good job at that...

Now, if they could just put some of their resources into ticketing speeding and erratic driving Taxi's, Buses and the kids, they might actually prevent some of "these" type incidents from happening in the future, instead of wasting a ton of resources cracking down of bicycle riders.... Absolutely crazy crap...

Gee I wonder how many people's lives were saved because a JN cop was standing at the corner telling them not to ride double on a bike OR checking the Bicycle Registration of a 45 year obasan riding home from the supermarket, to make sure she didn't steel the bike... Absolutely ridiculous stuff... And I would never have believed it myself, until I witnessed this type of crap, first hand...

Mean-while some 20 year old kid in a skyline goes racing by at 100 kph, and the cop doesn't even bat an eye....

Or a Gunko Bus driver that isn't going to veer his bus one centimeter to give an extra margin of safety to a runner or person on a bike sharing the road with him...

This kind of "I'm in the right, it doesn't matter if I run you over," mentality needs to go...
likeitis at 01:38 PM JST - 12th February

Too little information to start grabbing at straws don't you think??

The whole thing is on video. And drunk or not, I bet he did stumble in the way of the taxi. How do you miss a taxi coming? Confuse the road for more sidewalk? Unless the taxi rode the sidewalk to hit this guy, there really is very very little excuse for getting hit by a taxi.

The cabbie though, he fled, that was clearly his bad. But its also the bad of the law. Even if the video footage clearly shows the man holding a sign saying "Watch me kill myself by taxi", the cabbie will still get in trouble. No wonder he ran.
likeitis at 02:47 PM JST - 12th February

Now, if they could just put some of their resources into ticketing speeding and erratic driving Taxi's, Buses and the kids, they might actually prevent some of "these" type incidents from happening in the future

I don't want to say "jaywalkers" because I jaywalk all the time, safely I might add. But certainly they could do with going around warning people who cross roads or walk along side them with reckless abandon. If I have seen one geezer doing this, I have seen a thousand. Walking down the road, then suddenly crossing it without even looking behind them! I don't want them denting my car, certainly, but I would not mind so much if not for the fact that I will get railroaded for them jumping into my path. They will say "You hit him", which is pretty inaccurate short hand for what really happened.
mindovermatter at 03:34 PM JST - 12th February

Walking down the road, then suddenly crossing it without even looking behind them! I don't want them denting my car, certainly, but I would not mind so much if not for the fact that I will get railroaded for them jumping into my path. They will say "You hit him", which is pretty inaccurate short hand for what really happened.

Fact is, Driving a car is a luxury, and when you are behind the wheel of any MOTORIZED vehicle, you bare the added responsibility to make extra certain you don't hit anyone, if that means driving way around somebody or slowing to a crawl to ensure you don't hit someone, then that's what needs to done.

I have seen incidents where people have crossed out into traffic and gotten hit, no fault of the driver. One in which an old lady was killed. One in which I personally hit a guy on a bike who had ridden out in front of me... None of these cases resulted in any charges against the drivers... I bought the guy a new bike, it was the least I could have did, he didn't suffer any injuries anyway.

But you can't leave the scene of an accident, you just can't do it...

I think drivers in Japan, Maybe it's just Japanese people in general, have this mentality, that whenever they see someone walk out into the road, it's their personal responsibility and duty to beep their horn and yell at them, no matter if that person in the road is on the complete opposite side of the road...

This kind of, "It's my duty to enforce the law" needs stop, people need to take more personal responsibility and stop worrying about what everybody else and their brother is doing... It's called mind your own business...
saborichan at 03:44 PM JST - 12th February

Here's what I don't get, he was driving AT NIGHT, and hit a tall DARK object. What, you didn't have your lights on? How can anything ahead of you be dark? And if you backed into something , surely you would have to get to a stop anyway before proceeding forward. Why not take a look?

Besides, the guy had tireprints on his face, which suggests he was certainly not to the side of a vehicle that swung out too far whilst cornering or something.
jackfish at 06:36 PM JST - 12th February

Nice to see that the police efficiently nailed the cab driver using GPS and video records. Nice bit of police-work.
spudman at 07:08 PM JST - 12th February

likeitis: the majority of streets in Japan don't have sidewalks so it is very easy for people to get hit by vehicles.
MeanRingo at 09:46 PM JST - 12th February

ditto Spudman. It has always blown my mind how unprotected pedestrians are in this country. Kids and oldsters walk these streets because there is no other option. Crazy!
Disillusioned at 11:30 PM JST - 12th February

jackfish - Nice to see that the police efficiently nailed the cab driver using GPS and video records. Nice bit of police-work.

Yeah, albeit very basic police work. Yeh! They got one! *(only one) *
likeitis at 11:44 PM JST - 12th February

likeitis: the majority of streets in Japan don't have sidewalks so it is very easy for people to get hit by vehicles.

Correction: Its very easy for the lazy, the careless, and the slow to get hit in those places. But of course, the slow should have chosen safer places to walk. Yeah, I have walked on lands adjacent to roads and even jumped guardrails for my own safety. I know perfectly well how narrow some of the roads are and how many lack sidewalks. But I also know how easy it is to see and hear a car coming, and do something to avoid getting hit before the car even gets close. Those same roads often have nooks and crannies and poles to hit behind. There are many options besides taking you chances with all that steel heading your way.
likeitis at 11:57 PM JST - 12th February

None of these cases resulted in any charges against the drivers.

I have to ask, how do you know??

I bought the guy a new bike, it was the least I could have did, he didn't suffer any injuries anyway.

You should have crammed the old bike up his....Yeah, I had that happen to me too. The punk was lucky that I let him go with a "daijobu?" He deserved a thorough beating. He ran a red light on a blind intersection. If my reflexes were slower, he would have gotten more than a bump, and my car would have gotten more than a scratch.

Fact is, Driving a car is a luxury

Fact? That is called an opinion. Motor vehicles are an everyday part of life. Everybody knows it, and everybody knows where those cars travel, and all but the blind can see them, and all but the deaf hear them.

I agree that drivers need to exercise utmost caution, and even need to get all the grief possible when they deserve it. Trouble is, I see them getting it when they don't deserve it, or at least not all of it. And that is why people flee the scene so much. They don't seem to be privy to your assertion that so many drivers get off with no problems. Funny that. Who would run if they thought the pedestrian was responsible and they would get in no trouble for the accident?
spudman at 11:59 PM JST - 12th February

so how would you avoid a car coming from behind you? really you should stop and think how implicit trust in other people is in any society before pointing your finger at innocents and blaming them for being lazy, careless or slow. opinions are one thing but you should stop at opinion and stop projecting them as fact.
likeitis at 10:52 AM JST - 13th February

so how would you avoid a car coming from behind you?

If I am not on the sidewalk and on a narrow stretch of road, stop and turn around when I hear it coming, and step aside or jump the guardrail as necessary.

If the road is not so narrow, at least look over my shoulder and make a judgment call. Next question...

really you should stop and think how implicit trust in other people is in any society

The trust I have seen pedestrians place in cars and drivers is totally misplaced. Even when drivers are exercising caution at the utmost, accidents still happen. People who cannot be bothered to look over their shoulders, and there are many, earn their fates.