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Tokyo Police Raid Contractor in Cabinet Office Crash as Driver Reports Memory Loss

The probe now centers on possible fatigue, contractor management after police seized work records from the firm that provided the driver.

Overview

  • Officers searched Daishintō’s Jonan sales office in Chuo Ward on suspicion of negligent driving causing death or injury and seized rosters, attendance logs and related ledgers.
  • Forensic analysis indicates the accelerator was engaged about 10 seconds before impact, the car was traveling around 130 km/h at collision, and no brakes were applied for roughly 30 seconds after departure.
  • The 69-year-old driver remains hospitalized and has told others he has no memory of the moments before or after the Jan. 22 crash that killed a taxi passenger and left others injured.
  • Investigators are reviewing records showing the driver averaged more than 50 hours of monthly overtime from April to December, examining whether work conditions or management practices played a role.
  • Daishintō says it will fully cooperate, citing daily pre-shift health checks, alcohol screening and temperature measurements; the firm dispatches 74 drivers for the Cabinet Office’s 77 official vehicles.