Ex-Truck Driver Gets 7 Years for Fatal Mie Crash While Watching TikTok
Mitsuyo Mizutani, a 55-year-old former truck driver, was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Tsu District Court on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, for a pre-dawn expressway crash in Mie Prefecture that killed six people, including three children, while she was looking at her smartphone. The sentence matched the punishment requested by prosecutors.
Fatal Impact on the Shin-Meishin Expressway
The collision occurred shortly before dawn on March 20, 2026. Mizutani was driving a truck at approximately 82 kilometers per hour on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, according to the ruling reported by japantimes.co.jp. The prosecution argued during the trial that she was watching TikTok on her smartphone for about 13 seconds and looking away from the road. Japan Forward reported that the speed limit in the area had been reduced from 80 kph to 50 kph due to roadwork and lane restrictions, and Mizutani’s truck rear-ended a minivan carrying five members of the Matsumoto family from Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The impact pushed the minivan into an SUV driven by 56-year-old Keizo Takamine of Soka, Saitama Prefecture, as detailed by japan-forward.com. Both Takamine and all five members of the Matsumoto family—including Koji Matsumoto, then 45, and three children—died at the scene. During questioning on August 31, Mizutani attributed the crash to her own lack of judgment and stated she was driving at the speed of surrounding traffic.
Following the crash, Mizutani photographed her truck but did not participate in rescue or firefighting efforts, telling questioners that there were huge flames and she could not go in. Japan Forward noted that when asked during questioning to name the six people who died, she was unable to name all of them.
Court Grants Maximum Prison Term for Negligent Driving
At a sentencing hearing on September 10, prosecutors sought a seven-year prison term, which represents the maximum sentence for negligent driving resulting in death under the current legal framework. The Tsu District Court adopted this exact recommendation on October 20. Bereaved family members voiced profound frustration during an August 31 news conference regarding both the fatal incident and the legal classification of the offense.
Takamine’s sister expressed anguish over the loss, while Matsumoto’s sister called for legislative reform to charge drivers in such catastrophic distraction cases with dangerous driving resulting in death rather than negligent driving, pointing out that the more serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Corporate Investigation Into Illegal Overtime
Parallel to the criminal proceedings against Mizutani, labor and transport investigations targeted her employer. On October 7, a transport company based in Hiroshima and its president were referred to prosecutors on suspicion of requiring five truck drivers, including Mizutani, to work illegal overtime.