<figure id="attachment_302958" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-302958"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="83345a7e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/03/f4c69542539d92e792eaa813bff10fac.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-302958" class="wp-caption-text">A photo that defendant Sato had uploaded to his SNS. He enjoyed boating every week during the summer.</figcaption></figure>
 I want them to have a hard life as far away from their daily lives as possible. （I want them to have the same hardships as we did.
After the verdict, the bereaved parents spoke to the press about their grief.
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On March 24, the Fukushima District Court sentenced Tsuyoshi Sato, 45, a former company president, to two years of imprisonment for operating a pleasure boat on Lake Inawashiro (Aizuwakamatsu City, Aizu Prefecture) and killing and injuring a mother and three other people. The deceased was Eita Toyoda, then 8, of Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. His mother, who lost her beloved son, also suffered serious injuries, including the amputation of both legs. The defense argued for acquittal on the grounds that safety checks had been conducted adequately, but Judge Takaaki Miura explained the reasons for his decision as follows.
 The area where the accident occurred was close to land, and the possibility of people floating in the water was foreseeable. It is clear that the accident could have been avoided if the driver had kept a lookout ahead on both sides of the boat, stopped, and changed course.
In its October 8, &#8217;21 issue, &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; reported in detail on the accident and the celebrity lifestyle that Sato was boasting about. We would like to recount and look back at the situation before and after the incident (some content has been corrected).
<h2>Enjoying a grand outing in Ginza three to four times a week</h2>
<figure id="attachment_302960" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1974px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-302960"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9efc85a7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/03/gotto.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-302960" class="wp-caption-text">Enjoying fine Japanese cuisine with a glass of champagne in one hand. He also enjoyed a luxurious vacation in Thailand on his way home from Myanmar (from Sato&#8217;s SNS).</figcaption></figure>
 Three days after the accident, Mr. Sato told me, &#8220;It&#8217;s okay. I hired a lawyer, so I won&#8217;t get caught. He also told another person that he was going to flee to Myanmar.&#8221;
The man who told this magazine was a subordinate of Mr. Sato, who was involved in a fatal pleasure boat accident on Lake Inawashiro.
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On September 6, 2008, Eitao was playing on Lake Inawashiro when he was caught in a large pleasure boat and killed. His mother, who was nearby, was also seriously injured, having both legs amputated from the knees down.
 The investigation was difficult because the accident took place on the water, where physical evidence was difficult to find. The following year, however, a passenger provided a video of the incident. On September 14, 2009, the Aizu Wakamatsu Police arrested Sato on suspicion of manslaughter.
(A local newspaper reporter). A male acquaintance of the defendant said, &#8220;Mr. Sato was living a &#8216;celebrity life&#8217; for about a year before his arrest.
 The week after the accident, he was still going to a high-class club in Ginza. The frequency was the same as before the accident, three to four times a week. I think he spent 500,000 yen a night. He had a favorite girl and had her on the boat with him on the day of the accident. He gave her a gold card and let her spend her money freely.
A local friend of Sato&#8217;s told us about his life of golfing and partying.
 About a week before his arrest, we played golf together in Ibaraki Prefecture, but there was nothing unusual about that. A few years ago, he played the prestigious Tokyo Classic Club in Chiba Prefecture with Mr. Tekashi (Yuya), who was still a member of Johnny&#8217;s at the time. One month after the accident, the two played together at another golf course. 

 He also liked baseball and was good friends with Sho Nakata of the Giants; they boasted about their two-shot photos and Nakata gave him a guest pass to visit Nippon Ham&#8217;s camp, which he was a member of at the time.
Sato was the representative director of a company in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, which handled construction materials and received orders from all over Japan. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, sales increased due to special reconstruction demand, and the company grew to 700 million yen in sales in 19 years. On the other hand, there are those who question Sato&#8217;s words and actions. Another male acquaintance told this magazine, &#8220;I met Mr. Sato through a friend.
 I met Mr. Sato through a friend in June 2009, after the accident. We met only a few times, but in July, he invited me to a barbecue.
 On the day of the barbecue, about 10 people, including Mr. Sato&#8217;s wife and children and the family of the president, whom I knew, went on a boat ride after the barbecue. I was going 100 km/h, but I was honestly scared because I was looking back and looking away from the driver. I didn&#8217;t realize it was after the accident that killed the boy at that time. It&#8217;s not a normal feeling to be able to smile and enjoy boating.&#8221;
The heartbreak for the parents, whose son&#8217;s life was taken in front of their eyes, will never heal. But, Sato defendants are appealing the conviction on the same day.
<figure id="attachment_302961" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1891px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-302961"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b03d677f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/03/gottoto.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-302961" class="wp-caption-text">An image that Sato uploaded on a social networking service after the accident. He joked to his passenger, &#8220;Are you a scaredy-cat?&#8221; while driving dangerously, he joked.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_207831" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3579px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207831"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="84099185"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/dfe149be59aef51be24c2d579142317a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-207831" class="wp-caption-text">His favorite car, a Lamborghini Aventador. He also drove a Rolls Royce and other cars (from Sato&#8217;s SNS).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_207838" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2413px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207838"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5a341372"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/8938b0dcfb4991e81d1cb2e5e11acaff.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-207838" class="wp-caption-text">Among athletes, Sato was particularly fond of baseball players. There are many autograph balls and autograph papers at his parents&#8217; house.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_207840" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2331px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207840"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="895b5578"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/c94d20bf400fc3426ec24e54700b8952.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-207840" class="wp-caption-text">He held golf competitions, invited celebrities, and bought a 20-million-yen membership to a prestigious golf course.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_207843" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2784px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207843"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8ca2bfef"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/d8034ca2d7bdd3c9fd296c665877d2e4.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-207843" class="wp-caption-text">At a yakiniku restaurant he owned, with Takeru Sato, Gou Kitazawa, Diamond Yukai, and others from &#8220;Neptune&#8221; (from Takeru Sato&#8217;s SNS).</figcaption></figure>

 From the defendant's social networking site

 The trial of a former company president who killed a then 8-year-old boy and severely injured his mother by amputating both legs on Lake Inawashiro in Fukushima Prefecture. He was convicted of two years imprisonment. The defendant spoke before his arrest about his stupefying celebrity lifestyle and uploaded "pictures of his extravagant lifestyle.

Uploaded &#8220;pictures of his lavish lifestyle&#8221; after the accident&#8230; Former president of a pleasure boat that killed and injured a mother and her child &#8220;bragged to his acquaintances about his celebrity lifestyle.&#8221;

Uploaded “pictures of his lavish lifestyle” after the accident… Former president of a pleasure boat that killed and injured a mother and her child “bragged to his acquaintances about his celebrity lifestyle.”

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