Kills Mother And Toddler In Deadly Ikeburo Accident, Senior Japanese Former Bureaucrat Sentenced To Five Years In Prison

Karangan bunga di lokasi kecelakaan di Higashi Ikebukuro, Tokyo. (Wikimedia Commons / Asanagi)

JAKARTA - Kozo Iizuka, a 90-year-old former top bureaucrat, has been sentenced to five years in prison in a fatal accident in 2019, sparking debate over where to drive for the elderly on Japanese roads.

As of the Friday September 17 deadline, neither the adviser to Iizuka, the now-defunct former head of the Agency for Industrial Science and Technology, nor the prosecutors have appealed the September 2 ruling by the Tokyo District Court, Japan.

The court ruled that Iizuka ran a red light, after mistaking the gas pedal for the brakes, to hit and kill Mana Matsunaga, 31, and her 3-year-old daughter Riko, while cycling through a crosswalk in Tokyo's Ikebukuro area on April 19, 2019.

In addition to killing the mother and daughter, this fatal accident also injured nine other people who were at the scene.

"My condolences to the bereaved family. I want to accept the verdict," said Iizuka, who is accused of negligent driving resulting in death and injury, on Wednesday during a meeting with the head of a non-profit organization that supports the families of convicted or suspected offenders, citing Kyodo News Friday 17 September.

In light of this ruling, prosecutors will now study whether Iizuka, who cannot walk alone and uses a wheelchair, will spend time behind bars, given her age and health.

The crash site in Higashi Ikebukuro, Tokyo. (Wikimedia Commons/シンプルですけど機能的なベッド)

Japan's penal code allows for suspended sentences for prisoners aged 70 years and over, as well as for those who face a significant risk of harm to health or loss of life.

Separately, Takuya Matsunaga, husband and father of the victims told a press conference, "I feel relieved that the long-running trail has ended."

Iizuka has pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him, maintaining the argument that mechanical problems with the vehicle caused him to lose control.

However, the court ruled that he kept pressing the gas pedal for about 10 seconds mistaking it for the brakes, causing the car to accelerate to speeds of up to 96 kilometers per hour. He was found responsible for the fatal accident.

In addition, the court also judged that the prison sentence of five years was suitable for Iizuka, including taking into account her current age.

To note, the incident sparked debate about how to prevent accidents involving gray-haired elderly drivers in Japan, quickly and prompted many older drivers to give up their driver's licenses.