5 Years On, Japanese Man Remains Resolved to Eliminate Accidents

   Tokyo, April 19 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese man who lost his wife and daughter in a high-profile accident involving a runaway car driven by an elderly man five years ago says he hopes to "leverage (through dialogue) the victimizer's experience to prevent traffic accidents."
   The bereaved man, Takuya Matsunaga, 37, is slated to hold a meeting shortly with the elderly man, Kozo Iizuka, 92, who is serving a prison term over the incident.
   In the accident that happened in Tokyo's busy Ikebukuro district on April 19, 2019, a car driven by Iizuka, then 87, ignored a red light to enter a crosswalk, fatally hitting Matsunaga's wife, Mana, 31, and the couple's daughter, Riko, 3, and injuring nine other people.
   In his criminal trial, Iizuka pleaded not guilty, claiming that the accident resulted from a glitch in the car. But Tokyo District Court sentenced Iizuka to five years in prison in September 2021, concluding the accident occurred as he mistakenly hit the gas pedal for the brake pedal. Iizuka did not file an appeal, and the sentence became final.
   In March this year, Matsunaga asked questions to Iizuka, utilizing a system in which victims of crimes, including bereaved relatives, are allowed to convey their thoughts to perpetrators through prison staff. Matsunaga asked Iizuka, among other things, "How do you think the accident could have been prevented?" At the same time, Matsunaga asked for a meeting with Iizuka.

(2024/04/19-11:00)