The Sapporo District Court, in a rare move, determined that Ryuji Tanikoshi and Ryuichi Komi, both 28, conspired in reckless driving and gave the prison term sought by prosecutors.
The prosecutors argued in the trial that the defendants engaged in conspiracy as they tried to outdo each other in speeds and intentionally ignored red lights, while the defense contended that they merely failed to notice red lights.
The prosecutors alleged that Tanikoshi and Komi drove their respective vehicles on the night of June 6 on a road in the city of Sunagawa at a speed of at least 100 kilometers per hour and entered an intersection while ignoring a red light.
Tanikoshi, who had been under the influence of alcohol at the time, drove his passenger car into a light van at the intersection, killing Koichi Nagaoke, his wife Fumie, both 44, and their 17-year-old daughter Megumi, and seriously injuring their 13-year-old daughter Hikari, according to the prosecutors.
The couple’s 16-year-old son Shota was thrown out of the van at the impact and killed after Komi’s pickup truck dragged him for some 1.4 km.
In the trial, Tanikoshi’s defense claimed he failed to spot the red light as he was looking for his sunglasses. Komi’s defense said he could not have foreseen the accident and did not realize he was dragging Shota.
source: japantoday.com
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