Policeman Refuses Breath Test After Crashing Into Utility Pole

Jul 21, 2026 | News On Japan

HIROSHIMA - A 27-year-old police officer arrested after crashing into a utility pole in Hiroshima was found to have been driving under the influence, with a blood test detecting nearly three times the legal alcohol limit.

Raimu Hamashita, a constable assigned to the administrative division of the Hiroshima Prefectural Police's Fuchu Police Station, was referred to prosecutors on the morning of July 21.

Hamashita had been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after his vehicle struck a utility pole in a single-vehicle accident on a city road in Hiroshima's Naka Ward early on July 20.

Police said Hamashita smelled of alcohol after the crash but refused to take a breath test at the scene. Authorities subsequently conducted a blood test, which detected alcohol at roughly three times the legal limit.

Police added a charge of driving under the influence before referring the case to prosecutors.

Hamashita told investigators, "I don't want to say anything," according to police.

Source: FNN

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