Truck driver admits drinking alcohol before accident that killed 2 children

Jun 30, 2021 | News On Japan

Jun 30, 2021 (Japan Today) - A man has admitted consuming alcohol before the truck he was driving was involved in an accident that left two elementary school children dead and three others injured near Tokyo, investigative sources said Tuesday.

Police searched the house and office of Hiroshi Umezawa, 60, who is suspected of negligent driving resulting in death and injury. Alcohol in excess of the legal limit was detected when he took a breathalyzer test following the accident on Monday.

Police said it appears he did not apply his brakes at the scene of the accident in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, and they are thinking of charging him with dangerous driving causing death or injury.

According to the transport company in Yachimata that he works for, Umezawa was returning to the company at the time of the accident, after delivering cargo to Tokyo.

Umezawa's truck hit a line of pupils as they were walking home from Choyo Elementary School at around 3:30 p.m. Monday, killing two boys and seriously injuring three other children, with one of them left unconscious, according to police.

Police quoted Umezawa as saying he crashed into the group of children after hitting a utility pole when he suddenly swerved to the left.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.