Overview
- A Nagoya District Court (Ichinomiya branch) on Thursday sentenced 50-year-old Chigono Naoko to two years and six months in prison for negligent driving that caused the death of 31-year-old Togitani Sayaka.
- The crash occurred on May 21, 2025, when Togitani was struck while walking near her parents' home; she died two days later of an acute subdural hematoma.
- The child delivered by emergency C-section survived but suffered severe brain damage, remains unconscious, cannot breathe on her own, and requires round-the-clock nursing care.
- Prosecutors did not bring a separate injury charge for the child but amended the indictment to name the infant and describe her disability, and the family has launched an online petition seeking formal legal recognition of the child as a victim.
- The judge pointed to about nine seconds of the driver’s lane deviation as evidence of serious negligence and said the outcome warranted imprisonment, a finding that is likely to fuel debate over how Japan’s criminal code treats prenatal and newborn victims and could prompt legal review.