Taxi driver assaulted after 250-km trip from Tokyo to Nagano

Monday 02nd November, 08:46 AM JST

NAGANO —

A taxi driver was assaulted early Sunday morning with what was believed to be a hammer by a passenger who had the driver take him from Tokyo to Nagano City. According to police, the male passenger got in the taxi alone in Edogawa Ward, and asked the 58-year-old driver to take him on the Kan-Etsu expressway toward Nagano.

When they reached the Nagano Interchange on the Joshin-Etsu expressway, the man signaled for the driver to get off, directing him to stop in a residential neighborhood in Nakano’s Takada area. When the driver stopped, the man reached over from the back seat and began hitting him in the head with the hammer-like object, and then got out of the taxi without paying the 100,000 yen fare. The taxi traveled a total of about 250 kilometers.

Police investigations later that day led to the arrest of 23-year-old Hiroaki Yoshikawa on charges of robbery and assault.

According to a major Tokyo taxi company, the fare from Edogawa Ward to Nagano City is about 86,000 yen at special late-night rates, with the rest of the fare coming from expressway tolls.

Wire reports

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5 Comments

bobbafett at 11:01 AM JST - 2nd November

stupid driver.
Miyaratmosphere at 01:40 PM JST - 2nd November

very typical of Japanese taxi-drivers.
Junnama at 01:48 PM JST - 2nd November

Poor cabbie - probably thought he had hit the jackpot!
ratpack at 02:39 PM JST - 2nd November

I thought fares like this (from one prefecture to another) were only done through bookings. If the taxi picks u up and you say you want to go to another prefecture chances are they will say no.
noborito at 04:11 PM JST - 2nd November

dumb ass for driving someone that far. after say 10,000 yen you should get out. (or pay up 10,000 to cover the distance)