Overview
- The collision happened around 9:20 p.m. on National Route 306 in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, when a one-box passenger van and an oncoming minivan struck head-on.
- Thirteen people were injured, with three listed as serious, and authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
- The minivan carried a couple and their 5-year-old son, and police said the adults were seriously hurt while the child was not injured.
- The van was driven by a 43-year-old elementary school teacher who coaches the boys’ handball club, and she was taking 10 middle school players back to lodging in Hikone after a match in Nara.
- Hikone police said dashcam footage points to the van veering over the center line on a two-way, single-lane road, and they noted the van’s reported seating capacity is 14 as they review the cause and circumstances.