&#8220;I can&#8217;t go back to my hometown, Iwaki City, because of public opinion. But I&#8217;ll just let whoever wants to say it say it.
The defendant, Tsuyoshi Sato, 44, who is under detention, is said to have said this at a meeting with an acquaintance.
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<figure id="attachment_212063" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2891px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-212063"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5454560b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/8b9c5dd4976a3fa0a3a7c091228963c7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-212063" class="wp-caption-text">He said he had been an advanced pilot of a boat for about 20 years. He enjoyed boating leisure almost every week in the summer.</figcaption></figure>
On September 6, 2008, Eita Toyoda, then 8 years old, was caught in a pleasure boat and killed while playing at Lake Inawashiro in Fukushima Prefecture. One year after the accident, Sato, the president of a civil engineering company living in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, was arrested on September 14 this year on suspicion of manslaughter and was indicted on October 1. The October 8 issue of FRIDAY reported that the defendant had been living a celebrity lifestyle for a year after the accident, showing no signs of remorse. In addition, the company he was running forced foreign workers to work unfairly, and he was enjoying cruising on Lake Biwa right after the accident.
One month after his arrest, he is now under detention at the Aizu Wakamatsu station. A close friend of Sato&#8217;s describes his current situation.
 &#8220;I talked to one of his former subordinates who met with him, and he said, &#8216;It was a boat, and you don&#8217;t have any physical evidence. For example, if there is evidence that some parts were removed, I&#8217;ll admit it,&#8217; he said, still denying the charges. His parents believed their son&#8217;s claim, saying, &#8220;Tsuyoshi says he didn&#8217;t do it,&#8221; and he said, &#8220;I&#8217;m still trying.
 Sato himself doesn&#8217;t seem to understand his own situation. He doesn&#8217;t understand that he is being heavily criticized by the public for his hit-and-run accident, and he thinks that he can continue to do business with the company that has been giving him work. In reality, all contracts have been terminated, except for one company with which he had a personal relationship, and almost half of the employees have already decided to resign. &#8230;&#8230;&#8221;
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Currently, Sato&#8217;s father succeeds his son as the company&#8217;s representative director. Sato&#8217;s father is currently the president of the company, succeeding his son.
 &#8220;I heard that he sometimes asked an employee who came to see him if he would be willing to become president. The employee refused, but Sato and the employee discussed it during the visit and decided to change the company name and continue the business with his father as the representative. It seems that there were no words of apology to the victim.
The first trial will be held soon. What will Sato say in court?
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Sato at the time of his sentencing. Despite the prolonged detention, Sato is said to be in good health. The first trial is scheduled to be held with the participation of the bereaved family.

 Kyodo News Co.

 "I can't go back to my hometown, Iwaki City, because of public opinion. But let whoever wants to say it say it." Tsuyoshi Sato, 44, the defendant in custody, is said to have said this during a meeting with an acquaintance. September 6, 2008, at Lake Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture.

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