Judge found driving at 194 km is not dangerous driving and reduced the sentence to four years and six months in prison for negligent homicide

On Jan. 22, the Fukuoka High Court overturned the Oita District Court's ruling of an eight-year prison sentence for a 24-year-old man charged with violating the Road Traffic Act (resulting in death by dangerous driving) for driving a passenger car at 194 km/h on a public road in Oita City in 2021, crashing into a car turning right and killing a male office worker. Presiding Judge Koji Hiratsuka ruled that the defendant's dangerous driving charge amounted to negligent homicide under the same law instead of dangerous driving.

The first trial in 2012 found the defendant guilty of dangerous driving, citing "driving at high speeds that were difficult to control the car". In the second trial, the prosecution sought to add "intent to obstruct" to the list of dangerous driving requirements, while the defense argued for the crime of negligent homicide under the same law.