Photo/Illutration The room where Takuya Matsunaga met Kozo Iizuka on May 29 (Naoko Kawamura)

A man whose wife and daughter were killed in a traffic accident in Tokyo five years ago visited a prison and met face to face with the person responsible for their deaths.

Takuya Matsunaga, 37, said he left the May 29 meeting at the prison in the Kanto region with a more positive outlook on life. But he is still not ready to forgive Kozo Iizuka, 92, for what he did.

On April 19, 2019, a car driven by Iizuka ran a red light and sped through two intersections, fatally striking Mana Matsunaga, 31, and daughter Riko, 3, who were crossing the road.

Nine other people were injured.

The accident fueled calls for stricter safety measures concerning elderly drivers and efforts to encourage them to give up their driver’s licenses.

Iizuka, a former top government bureaucrat, blamed a mechanical failure for the crash.

But the Tokyo District Court concluded that Iizuka kept mistakenly pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake.

In September 2021, Iizuka was sentenced to five years in prison for negligent driving resulting in death and injury.

Matsunaga wanted to convey his thoughts and opinions to Iizuka at the prison.

He used a system introduced by the Justice Ministry at the end of 2023 that allows crime victims and their families to communicate with inmates.

Under the system, prison officers listen to the sentiments of the victims, compile them into a written report, and read it to the inmates.

At a later date, officers can convey the inmates’ reactions and comments to the victims in writing if requested.

Matsunaga applied for use of the system in March this year.

According to the ministry, this was the first time a meeting between victim and perpetrator was realized through the system.

Matsunaga wrote that he wanted Iizuka to remember his wife and daughter. He also wanted to hear Iizuka’s opinions and experiences about the issue of elderly drivers and how to prevent a recurrence of the accident.

In April, Matsunaga received the results of the communication from the prison.

According to the message, Iizuka said he was sorry when Matsunaga’s letter was read, and he accepted Matsunaga’s request to meet.

The May 29 closed-door meeting lasted about 50 minutes. Mana’s father, 66, also attended.

The two faced Iizuka, who was in a wheelchair, through an acrylic panel in the presence of prison staff.

After the meeting, Matsunaga told reporters, “Having faced (Iizuka), we as individuals can look forward to living our lives.”

Iizuka had difficulty speaking, so they decided to use a format in which the convict would choose “yes” or “no” for the questions.

Matsunaga said he did not ask some of the questions that he had prepared in advance.

He said he did ask Iizuka, “What do you want to tell elderly people and their families?”

According to Matsunaga, Iizuka replied: “Please tell them to surrender their driver’s licenses soon.”

Matsunaga told reporters: “I don’t know if the day will ever come when I can forgive him. But having faced him, I can look forward to living my life.”

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