Photo/Illutration Takuya Matsunaga during a news conference on June 21, 2021 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

White, yellow and pink flowers were placed at the memorial monument near the site of the accident, along with offerings of snacks, juice, picture books and origami paper.

As the time when the accident took place neared, workers going out to lunch from nearby office buildings stopped at the monument and joined their hands in prayer. It was unseasonably warm and felt like early summer, and I remembered a lone straw hat that lay on the street that day.

Four years ago on April 19, a runaway car in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district killed a woman and her 3-year-old daughter and injured nine people.

Takuya Matsunaga, 36, who lost his wife and little girl, visited the accident site and whispered in a choked voice, "I love you both. I'm doing OK."

I was reminded anew of the horror of a car turning into a killing machine.

The criminal trial at the time determined that the driver, then 87 years old, mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

Placed before the memorial monument was an official notification of the surrender of a driver's license, presumably placed there by an elderly neighborhood resident.

Attached to the notification was a handwritten note, explaining that even though his family thought there was still no need for him to voluntarily give up his license, he decided that doing so would be the "least he could do to console the souls of the deceased."

The accident became a wake-up call for acknowledging the dangers of wrong-way driving and other mistakes made by elderly drivers.

But fatal accidents continue, and especially away from the big cities, it is critical for seniors who surrender their licenses to secure alternate means of transportation if they are to maintain their normal lifestyles.

After the accident, Matsunaga campaigned to make society accident-free and also actively sought support for accident victims and their families. But he also experienced collateral damage in the form of ruthless character assassination on social media.

As if losing his family wasn't traumatic enough, he was accused of doing this for money and personal recognition. I cannot even begin to imagine how painful that must have been.

Automobiles and digital devices have made our lives incredibly convenient, but they have also generated difficult problems.

All we can do is empathize with the victims while seeking ways to use technology that won't hurt or harm anyone.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 20

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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