<figure id="attachment_290135" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-290135" style="width: 1220px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ab26a8ff"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/01/jpp044024931.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-290135" class="wp-caption-text">Inoki, the suspect arrested for killing and injuring four people while driving drunk (Image: Jiji Press)</figcaption></figure>
 There is no doubt that I went home after drinking, but I don&#8217;t know if it was alcohol that caused this,&#8221; the man told the court, denying the charges.
 I don&#8217;t know if I was under the influence of alcohol or not,&#8221; the man said in court, denying the charges against him.
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 The trial was held on March 7 at the Sakai Branch of the Osaka District Court in connection with an accident in which four men were killed or injured (two dead, two slightly injured) when they were run over by a car while on anti-patrol duty last December. The defendant, Yasuyuki Inoki, 49, a construction worker, is accused of violating the Automobile Driving Punishment Law (causing death by dangerous driving). Prosecutors said that Inoki had been drinking beer, shochu, and highballs at a number of taverns and karaoke bars, and was in no condition to drive normally.
 FRIDAY Digital&#8221; reported on the accident in detail in an article distributed on January 18. We would like to recount the background of the drunken driving and Inoki&#8217;s surprising claim (some corrections have been made).
 The accident occurred on a city street in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, just after 11:30 a.m. on December 27, 2011. Inoki, a construction worker living in the city, was arrested on suspicion of violating the Automobile Driving Punishment Law (negligent homicide) and the Road Law (hit-and-run). He hit four men, all in their 40s, who were on night patrol, with his car, killing two and slightly injuring two others. The defendant, Inoki, drove away without taking appropriate action.
 Eight men from the local neighborhood association were on patrol. The city street at the scene was one lane and approximately 6 m wide, and the eight men formed a double line and appealed to residents in the neighborhood to beware of fire. It is believed that Inoki&#8217;s car approached the patrol from behind and hit the four men one after another. Inoki was apparently asleep at the wheel.
 The two men who died were walking in the rear of the car. As a result of the autopsy, both of them had broken bones in their heads. They must have been hit hard from the head to the ground by the impact of being hit. There were no brake marks at the scene, suggesting that the driver did not slow down and hit the four people at a high rate of speed,&#8221; said a reporter from a national newspaper.
<h2> The morning after the accident, the driver put on his work clothes and went to work.</h2>
<figure id="attachment_290122" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-290122" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f5110cfa"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/01/2022122805063.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-290122" class="wp-caption-text"> The city road in Sakai City where the accident took place (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 The day after the accident, police found a sports-type utility vehicle (SUV), very similar to the getaway car caught on multiple security cameras, in the parking lot of a house about 700 meters from the scene. The owner was defendant Inoki. Immediately after his arrest, Inoki told the police the following
 I am sure that I caused an accident and drove away, but I thought I hit a utility pole or something. I was not aware that I hit anyone. I don&#8217;t think it was a hit-and-run.
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 A former reporter from the social media continued, &#8220;Inoki said, &#8216;I don&#8217;t think it was a hit-and-run.
 Inoki denied some of the charges, saying he thought he hit a utility pole, but there were no utility poles near the accident site. At the time of his arrest, he had not even apologized to the victim. The morning after the accident, Inoki was seen heading to work in his work clothes.
 Although Inoki admitted that he had been drinking alcohol just before the accident, he was arrested late at night on December 28, almost a full day after the accident, and no alcohol was detected in his breathalyzer test.
 According to the police, it is known that around 8:00 p.m. on the day of the accident, Inoki entered his favorite izakaya alone. He drank a total of about four draft beers and highballs, and left the restaurant after 10 pm. Inoki apparently drank more alcohol at a karaoke bar and caused the accident.
 The testimony of the owner of the first izakaya also reveals a serious lie on Inoki&#8217;s part. When the owner asked Inoki if he had come by car, he denied it. The next morning, he received a phone call from Inoki saying, &#8216;I hit a telephone pole on my way home. When the owner asked if it was a person, he explained that it was a telephone pole.
 The family of the deceased man made the following comments through their representative.
 The family of the deceased man made the following comment through their representative: &#8220;We want A (the victim&#8217;s real name in the comment) to be returned to the defendant. I am filled with a desire to have A (the victim&#8217;s real name in the comments) returned.
<figure id="attachment_290124" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-290124" style="width: 5502px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d7aa6d87"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/01/aflo_66797749.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-290124" class="wp-caption-text"> It is known that the suspect hustled two pubs just before the accident (Image: Afro)</figcaption></figure>

 Asahi Shimbun / Jiji Press, Kyodo News, Afro

 Four people were killed in a hit-and-run accident in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, late last year. The first trial of the perpetrator was held. The man denied being under the influence of alcohol, even though he had been to a number of taverns just before the accident. What were the man's surprising claims made immediately after his arrest and in court?

Denies &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if he was under the influence of alcohol&#8221;&#8230;Two people killed by drunk driving on a tavern ladder &#8220;defendant told in court&#8221; surprising claim.

Denies “I don’t know if he was under the influence of alcohol”…Two people killed by drunk driving on a tavern ladder “defendant told in court” surprising claim.

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