Overview
- An Estonian-made MiCa shuttle in Yahiko Village hit two pedestrians near Omotenashi Square on Sunday, leaving a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s injured but conscious.
- Village officials said the bus detected pedestrians and stopped about 55 meters before the scene, then the onboard operator switched to manual to steer past them and the vehicle struck the pair from behind near the sidewalk.
- After the April 12 collision, the mayor apologized at a Monday briefing and the village halted the autonomous service while police and local officials investigate.
- Investigators are examining possible human error during the handoff to manual control, and they have not yet confirmed whether the operator braked before impact.
- The service runs at Level 2 with a driver on board who must take over to pass obstacles, and records show two prior property-damage crashes in 2024, making this the first case with injuries since service began in February 2024.