TOKYO — A 79-year-old former taxi driver has been sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, after a 2024 hit-and-run in Tokyo that ultimately led to the death of a 49-year-old company employee.
The Tokyo District Court handed down the sentence Thursday to Kiyotaka Zanami, who was 77 when the incident occurred. Prosecutors had sought a three-year-and-six-month prison term.
According to the court ruling, Zanami was driving a taxi in Toshima Ward at around 2 a.m. on January 13, 2024, when his vehicle struck Takeo Omura, who was walking ahead of the taxi.
Rather than stopping to provide assistance, Zanami continued driving. Omura was subsequently struck by another vehicle and died.
Judge Yuko Ito criticized Zanami’s decision to leave the scene, saying he could have anticipated the danger that Omura could be hit by a following vehicle. The court also considered his professional experience as a taxi driver when assessing the seriousness of his conduct.
At the same time, the court determined that the driver’s negligence was not at the highest level. The ruling noted that Zanami had noticed Omura approximately 30 meters before the collision and had turned the steering wheel in an attempt to avoid him.
Zanami previously told the court that he did not stop because he prioritized the passenger in his taxi. He also said he had been considering quitting his job as a taxi driver before the accident.
The case comes as Japan is facing renewed scrutiny over safety among older motorists.
On the same day as the sentencing, Japan’s National Police Agency announced plans to make the mandatory driving skills test tougher for drivers aged 75 and above who have traffic violations on their records.
The proposed changes would add assessments for turning a vehicle around and checking for safety, while failing to stop at an intersection would carry a heavier penalty. The reforms could take effect as early as fiscal 2027 following a public-comment process.
Japan introduced the current skills test for certain drivers aged 75 and older in 2022. But an NPA study reported in June found that drivers who had taken the test were involved in accidents at 2.8 times the rate of older drivers who were not required to take it, prompting authorities to reconsider whether the existing test adequately identifies high-risk motorists.
The Tokyo case therefore goes beyond one fatal collision. It has renewed questions about the responsibilities of professional drivers, the duty to assist crash victims and whether Japan’s existing safeguards for elderly motorists are strong enough.
For Omura’s family, however, the central issue remains the loss of a 49-year-old man after a collision that the court said created a foreseeable danger.
The verdict has now placed the spotlight not only on Zanami’s sentence, but also on how Japan balances the mobility of an aging population with the safety of everyone sharing its roads.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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