THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 26, 2024 at 14:37 JST
Kozo Iizuka, a former senior bureaucrat at the industry ministry who killed a mother and her daughter in a horrific traffic accident in Tokyo in 2019, died in prison.
Iizuka was 93 years old when he died on Oct. 26, sources said.
On April 19, 2019, the car that Iizuka was driving sped through a red light and hit Mana Matsunaga, 31, and her daughter, Riko, 3, while they were crossing at an intersection.
Nine others were injured.
Iizuka initially blamed mechanical failure, but the Tokyo District Court ruled in 2021 that he had accidentally and repeatedly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
He was sentenced to five years imprisonment for negligent driving resulting in death or bodily injury.
The case brought the spotlight on traffic accidents around Japan caused by the mistakes of elderly drivers.
In a lawsuit filed by the bereaved family, the district court ordered Iizuka to pay 146.6 million yen ($951,700) in damages.
Takuya Matsunaga, 38, who lost his wife and child in the accident, told reporters on Nov. 25: “It must have been very regrettable for him to go to prison and then lose his life. Traffic accidents make no one happy. I would like to continue my activities to reduce the number of traffic accident victims and perpetrators of crimes in society.”
He added, “If (Iizuka) ever meets my wife and daughter, I would like him to say sorry to them. I have no stronger feelings than that right now.”
In March, Matsunaga conveyed his feelings to Iizuka through a prison staff member. This led to a meeting at the prison in May.
Matsunaga said he asked Iizuka if he had any message for elderly people and their families.
Iizuka reportedly replied, “Please tell them to return their drivers licenses as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing the news of Iizuka’s death, Matsunaga told reporters, “I would like to use his experiences and words as food for my future activities.”
(This article was written by Taro Ono and Shoko Mifune.)
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Kozo Iizuka, accompanied by police, returns to the accident site in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district on June 13 in 2019. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
