A court on Thursday sentenced former taxi driver Kiyotaka Zanami, 79, to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for his role in a hit-and-run in Tokyo that resulted in the death of a corporate worker in 2024. Zanami’s taxi collided with Takeo Omura, 49, who was walking in front of the vehicle in Toshima Ward around 2 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2024, according to the ruling. Zanami did not rescue Omura, who was subsequently hit by another vehicle and died.
Zanami has told the court that he did not rescue Omura because he gave priority to the passenger. While asked about his age of 77 at the time of the accident, he has said that he thought he was going to quit as a taxi driver before causing an accident. Omura’s father, who lives with the victim’s wife and children in Hiroshima Prefecture, has claimed that it is problematic for an elderly person close to 80 years old to be driving a taxi late at night.
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