In Japan, former truck driver sentenced to 7 years over crash that killed six — The Japan Times

The Tsu District Court in Japan sentenced 55-year-old former truck driver Mitsuyo Mizutani to seven years in prison in a case involving an accident on an expressway that killed six people, including three children. As The Japan Times reports, the court handed down the sentence sought by prosecutors.

Expressway collision

The accident occurred before dawn on March 20 on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture. According to the court ruling, Mizutani was driving a truck at around 82 km/h, exceeding the speed limit, and was looking at her smartphone.

The truck crashed into a line of cars stopped in a traffic jam. The collision killed 56-year-old Keizo Takamine from Soka, Saitama Prefecture; 45-year-old Koji Matsumoto; and four members of his family from Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture.

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Prosecution's account

During the trial, prosecutors stated that Mizutani had been watching TikTok on her smartphone for about 13 seconds at the time of the accident.

On October 7, a transport company from Hiroshima and its president were referred to prosecutors on suspicion of demanding illegal overtime work from five truck drivers, including Mizutani.