One person died and eight were injured in an auto accident in Tokyo on Thursday involving an official vehicle of the Cabinet Office and five other cars.
- Hge News
- Jan 27
- 2 min read
One person died and eight were injured in an auto accident in Tokyo on Thursday involving an official vehicle of the Cabinet Office and five other cars.
The government vehicle is believed to have plowed into an intersection in the Akasaka district of Tokyo’s Minato Ward at around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, causing a multiple-car collision.
Based on footage of the accident, the driver of the Cabinet Office car is thought to have ignored the red light and gone into the intersection over the speed limit, according to media reports. There appears to be no significant skid marks on the road as well.
The Metropolitan Police Department is closely investigating the circumstances of the crash on suspicions that dangerous driving resulting in death or injury has been committed — a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The accident resulted in the death of Noboru Akashi, a 32-year-old office worker who was a passenger in a taxi involved in the accident. Eight other people are reported to have sustained light to severe injuries.
Upon entering the intersection, the government vehicle is believed to have crashed into a station wagon moving perpendicular to it.
The force of the blow knocked the station wagon into a taxi moving beside it, sending both vehicles to the other side of the road, where they crashed into three other vehicles, including a garbage truck.
The driver of the car thought to have caused the accident is a 69-year-old man employed at a company the Cabinet Office outsources for its transportation needs. He was hospitalized after sustaining injuries in the accident.
The driver was working at the time of the crash, with two men in their 50s in the back seat suffering significant injuries such as broken bones. They are currently in the hospital for treatment, according to reports.
The accident occurred at a section near the Japan Patent Office, in an area that houses many government buildings.
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