crime

Taxi driver dies after assault in Tokyo

9 Comments

A taxi driver who was found lying on the ground beside his vehicle in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward early Tuesday has died of his injuries.

Police identified the driver as Kikuo Mihashi, 66. Fuji TV reported that a newspaper deliveryman found him lying beside his taxi at around 5 a.m. Mihashi was taken to hospital where he died a short time later.

According to police, Mihashi had a bruise above his right eye, though that is unlikely to have been the cause of death. Police suspect some sort of medical condition may have caused Mihashi's death and said a autopsy will be conducted.

Police said there were no signs of a struggle inside the taxi. A receipt for fare payment was still in the meter and the driver's door was open.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

9 Comments
Login to comment

RIP. I bet it was a drunk salaryman who won't remember a thing after he's caught.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Not a lot to go on here to come to any kind of armchair detective-style conclusion, but I really feel awful for the man and his family. I can't help but picturing any one of the chatty taxi drivers who have gotten me to my destinations over the years here in Japan, many of whom were around the same age as this guy.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Anyone with a license to drive can be a taxi driver in Japan. The times my stress has gone to stratospheric levels with some of these drivers, I cannot count.

Never has it occurred to assault any and feel sorry for this one.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Not sure why you were thumbed down Commodore.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Nowadays videocams, located near the rearview mirrors, are used in taxis. Hopefully, there was one that could lead to some information on this sad crime.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Hope they catch the guy who did it.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I hope they catch the person!!!

7 ( +8 / -1 )

How can anyone be so sure it was an "assault"? The guy was next to his taxi, so he hadn't run off chasing a fare-dodger, there was no evidence of a struggle and he had a bruise above his eye: exactly what you'd expect if he'd got out to buy a can of coffee or something, stumbled and banged his head on the road or kerb.

Or am I missing something?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I've got to agree with Lucabrisi. Japan Today says the man was assaulted and "died of his injuries", yet the only injury reported was a bruise over one eye? That's amazing reporting considering a cause of death usually requires an autopsy. Here's one plausible alternate scenario that involves no assault whatsoever:

Kikuo Mihashi, 66, is driving a fare when he suffers a heart attack and brings the car to a stop. While attempting to leave the car, he loses consciousness - striking his head on the road beside his car. The fare, for whatever reason, then panics and leaves the scene.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites