Defendant in Shuto Expressway Fatal Crash Tells Bereaved Families He Wants to Return to Society Soon, Victim Speaks Out on His Shocking Claims

A sentence of 7 years and 6 months in prison has been finalized.

On April 7, it was revealed that former truck driver Sakyō Furihata (30), who had been charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury, had withdrawn his appeal to the Tokyo High Court. As a result, the initial ruling issued by the Tokyo District Court became final.

“The accident occurred in May 2024. On the Shuto Expressway in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture, a large truck driven by Furihata crashed into a line of congested vehicles at 75–80 km/h, killing three people and seriously injuring three others. Furihata had been running a fever for several days and was in a state of impaired consciousness while driving. It is also said that the night before, he had been messaging his mistress on LINE almost all night,” said a reporter covering judicial affairs for a national newspaper.

“FRIDAY Digital” previously published an article in November 2025, shortly after the first-instance ruling, featuring nonfiction writer Mika Yanagihara’s coverage of the incident. Based on testimony from an injured female driver, it described the vivid reality of the scene and Furihata’s outrageous claims.

“I had no response at all”

“While I was stopped in traffic, I suddenly felt a strong impact from behind, and the 23-ton trailer I was driving was pushed forward. Because I had kept a sufficient following distance, I avoided colliding with the vehicle in front, but when I immediately got out of the cab, something terrible was already unfolding behind me. A passenger car that had crashed into the central divider caught fire right after. It all happened in the blink of an eye.”

This is how Mariko Yamaguchi, a large trailer driver, recalls the incident.

At around 7:35 a.m. on May 14, 2024, at the Bijogi Junction on the Shuto Expressway, a large truck crashed into the end of a traffic jam without braking. As a result, six vehicles in front were pushed into a chain-reaction collision, and three passenger cars caught fire, causing a horrific accident.

The author obtained a video taken immediately after the accident. The footage shows cars burning intensely. It was filmed by Yamaguchi, one of the victims in the sixth vehicle in the chain collision, using her smartphone.

“I just remember multiple cars emitting flames and smoke, and it was extremely hot just standing there.”

Yamaguchi herself was injured, but she saw a driver trapped and slumped inside a truck two vehicles behind. Together with another driver who had stopped behind them, she rushed over and knocked on the door.

“At first there was no response at all, and I thought he might have died. But we somehow managed to open the door and, the two of us, desperately carried out the driver who was barely conscious.”

Unable to even answer their names

A few minutes later, a highway patrol unit traveling in the opposite direction arrived at the scene. Firefighters and police who subsequently responded also took action, but three bodies were recovered from the three burning passenger vehicles, and three large-truck drivers, including Ms. Yamaguchi, suffered serious and minor injuries.

“At that time, I could only manage to save one person. I couldn’t even get close to the burning vehicles.”

On November 4, 2025, a first-instance judgment was handed down against Furihata, the truck driver. Presiding Judge Takao Okawa of the Tokyo District Court harshly condemned him, stating that his awareness of compliance with traffic laws was extremely low, and his culpability is exceptionally severe even by precedent, and sentenced him to 7 years and 6 months in prison, exceeding the statutory sentencing range.

Despite having a high fever from a cold on the day of the accident, Furihata was operating a large truck. The day before, he had also been severely sleep-deprived, spending nearly the entire night exchanging hundreds of LINE messages with his mistress. He was driving in a so-called distracted driving state—holding the steering wheel with only his right hand while using his other hand to type messages on his smartphone. Due to the effects of cold medicine, he was in a foggy mental state, and it was later found that he had even been asleep shortly before the crash.

In addition, during a police investigation of his smartphone history, it was discovered that he had downloaded obscene images of minors. He was subsequently additionally indicted for violation of child pornography laws. After reading the judgment, the presiding judge sternly admonished him, saying, “You do not appear to understand the gravity of the crimes you have committed,” and “Your perfunctory apology did not resonate with anyone. You must sincerely face the irreversible consequences.”

Ms. Yamaguchi, who attended the sentencing hearing, spoke with frustration:

“In court, Furihata couldn’t even answer the names of the deceased. Worse, in front of the bereaved families, he said, ‘I want to return to society as soon as possible.’ I felt no sense of remorse at all. I understand the accident wasn’t intentional.

But what I cannot forgive is that immediately after the crash, he made no attempt to assist in rescue efforts. Even though something terrible had happened because of him, he did not get out of the truck and instead appeared to be searching for something inside the cab. I will never forget that sight.”

As mentioned at the beginning, the first-instance ruling became final after Furihata withdrew his appeal. The exact reason for withdrawing the appeal remains unknown.