Toddler Dies in Crash, Defendant Gets Four Years—Then Claims He Changed Clothes While Driving About 48 Times
“It’s extremely disappointing. I feel like I’ve been brought down to the absolute depths.”
At a press conference following the verdict, the family of the one-year-old child who died expressed their deep frustration.
On July 15, the Kochi District Court sentenced Tsunehiro Takezaki (62), an unemployed man charged with causing death and injury through negligent driving, to four years in prison. The accident occurred in September 2024. On the Kochi-Tobu Expressway in Konan City, Kochi Prefecture, Takezaki engaged in distracted driving, including attempting to change the shoes on both feet while driving. Due to his negligence, he collided head-on with a passenger car traveling in the opposite lane, killing one-year-old Kouei Shinno (then 1), who was riding in the other vehicle.
“Kouei’s parents and older sister, who were also in the car, suffered various injuries, including fractures. In court, Takezaki gave unbelievable testimony, saying that he had repeatedly changed clothes while driving in the past. The prosecution sought a seven-year sentence. However, although the judge described his driving behavior as malicious, Takezaki was sentenced to four years because, among other factors, he had admitted to the charges.
After the verdict, Kouei’s parents held a press conference and said, ‘It was a verdict that caused further suffering to the victims.’ They also said, ‘It made us wonder once again what the judges are thinking as they carry out these trials.’ The family’s lawyer also said, ‘The reasoning was clearly insufficiently explained, and as a result, the sentence was grossly inappropriate.’” (National newspaper judicial affairs reporter)
This was an accident in which the precious life of a young child was taken because of the defendant’s distracted driving. Journalist Mika Yanagihara attended the trial at the Kochi District Court and also spoke with the bereaved family. Below, we reproduce an article Yanagihara wrote for “FRIDAY Digital” about the defendant’s questioning in April, detailing the accident and Takezaki’s appalling behavior.
To save time
The victim’s badly damaged vehicle (Photo provided by the bereaved family)On April 13, the defendant’s questioning was held at the Kochi District Court. Takezaki answered the prosecutor’s stern questions in a matter-of-fact manner. Their exchange was bizarre and difficult to believe. That day, the prosecutor asked Takezaki a series of questions about the distracted driving he had routinely engaged in while driving.
Prosecutor: About how many times in total did you change your clothes or pants while driving?
Defendant: An average of two or three times a month. Over two years, I suppose about 48 times. I don’t remember exactly.
Prosecutor: Why would you do it while driving?
Defendant: To save time.
Prosecutor: You could have done it after you arrived, couldn’t you? Why would you be so careless?
Defendant: I’m sorry. To save time.
The dangers of using smartphones while driving have become a major social issue, and penalties have been strengthened in recent years. But to think that there was a driver who would even change his pants while driving on an automobile-only road. The series of reckless driving behaviors described in court was so outrageous that the spectators could not help but sigh.
The accident occurred on September 21, 2024, at around 12:50 p.m. on the Kochi-Tobu Expressway. After finishing a round of golf that morning, Takezaki was driving his own car, a Crown Crossover, when he suddenly crossed the center line and entered the opposite lane, colliding head-on with a car carrying a family of four. The moment of impact was clearly captured on the victim vehicle’s dashcam.
In the accident, Yuya Shinno, 33 at the time, who was driving, and his wife Ayano, 37, who was seated in the passenger seat, suffered serious injuries. Their eldest son, Kōei, who was seated in the back, was killed, while Kōei’s sister, who was seated beside him, suffered minor injuries.
Defendant Takezaki was indicted without being detained 11 months after the accident. According to the indictment, Takezaki became overly reliant on the “Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)” driver-assistance system installed in his vehicle, which helps keep the vehicle traveling near the center of its lane. While driving, he unfastened his seat belt and reached toward the passenger seat in an attempt to change from leather shoes to sandals, causing him to turn the steering wheel to the right and cross into the oncoming lane.
Takezaki admitted to the charges and expressed remorse, saying, “I am deeply sorry for causing the accident. I did something that can never be undone. I believe I should go to prison.” He also apologized to the Shinno couple in court. However, he repeatedly said that he had no memory whatsoever of what happened at the time of the accident and did not remember what he had done inside the vehicle. As a result, he never described what happened at the time of the accident in his own words.
“I was careless.”
On this day, Ayano, who had lost her child, who had only just turned one, and had herself suffered serious injuries, used the Victim Participation System to directly question defendant Takezaki.
“Why did you repeatedly engage in dangerous driving?”
In response to this question, which the mother forced herself to ask, defendant Takezaki lowered his head and replied:
“I was careless. I’m sorry.”
These days, we frequently hear the term automated driving. However, vehicles currently sold in Japan are equipped only with Level 1 and Level 2 driver assistance systems (the highest level being Level 5), which still require the driver to monitor the vehicle.
In other words, even if a vehicle is equipped with a feature called “Lane Tracing Assist (LTA),” it is not designed on the assumption that the driver will take their hands off the steering wheel, let alone change their pants or shoes while driving.
In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in calls for dangerous behavior such as using a smartphone or otherwise engaging in distracted driving while behind the wheel, if it results in a serious accident, to be treated and punished as dangerous driving rather than mere negligence. However, the bill to amend the offense of Dangerous Driving Causing Death or Injury, approved by the Cabinet at the end of March this year, did not include distracted driving as a specific category.
At a press conference following the April court hearing, the victim’s father, Yuya Shinno, made the following appeal:
“During today’s trial, I was so angry that my body was shaking. We also heard that he brought happoshu beer to the golf course and drank a sip or two, and I realized that he had every intention of driving under the influence. And when it comes to changing his pants while driving, I thought, ‘How the hell do you change your pants while driving? Go ahead and show me right in front of me.’ Why was my son killed by someone like this? How much more do we have to be insulted and forced to put up with?
And I once again felt that it is utterly unreasonable that such dangerous distracted driving is not included as an offense under the Dangerous Driving Causing Death or Injury law in this latest legal revision. Once a life is taken, it can never be brought back. I truly believe that things will not change unless more people think about this, so for the sake of my son who died, I want to do everything I can to make a difference.”
Following the verdict introduced at the beginning of this article, Shinno plans to launch a petition calling for an appeal.
Reporting and Text： Mika Yanagihara (Journalist) PHOTO： Courtesy of the bereaved family and others