OITA -- A 23-year-old man was convicted of dangerous driving and sentenced to eight years in prison on Nov. 28 for causing a 2021 fatal accident while driving 194 kilometers per hour -- over three times the legal speed limit.

During the lay judge trial at the Oita District Court, prosecutors argued for a conviction of dangerous driving resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. The defense, however, contended that the charge should be negligence resulting in death, which has a maximum sentence of seven years.

Prosecutors cited two factors to support the charge of dangerous driving: the high speed, which made the vehicle difficult to control, and the reckless driving by the defendant in approaching another vehicle with the purpose of obstructing it. They stated that traveling at 194 kph could cause the car to become unstable due to road conditions, increasing the risk of an accident. They also argued that the defendant, familiar with the road from driving it approximately 30 times, knew his actions could put him in the way of vehicles turning right from the opposite lane.

The defense countered that the vehicle remained within its lane at high speeds and argued that the defendant had no specific intent to obstruct another car.

According to the indictment and other sources, the defendant was driving at 194 kph along a prefectural road in the city of Oita at around 11 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2021, where the speed limit was 60 kph. He collided with a vehicle driven by 50-year-old Ken Koyanagi, who was turning right. The crash resulted in Koyanagi's death due to blood loss.

Initially, the driver was indicted without arrest on a charge of negligence resulting in death. However, the charge was upgraded to dangerous driving resulting in death following protests and a petition from the victim's family.

The court's ruling comes amid heightened public attention on fatal accidents caused by reckless driving.

(Japanese original by Megu Koyama, Taiki Yamaguchi, Oita Bureau, and Emi Izuchi, Kyushu News Department)