Japan has a reputation for being safe. But “low crime” doesn’t equal “no crime.” The country deals with the same issues as every other nation on Earth – including road rage. Japan has seen a swarm of incidents lately involving what’s called あおり運転 (aori unten), which is often translated as “tailgating,” but refers to any form of aggressive, unsafe driving. Some incidents end in physical assault, or in accidents claiming the lives of several victims.
Now Japan faces a challenging dilemma: What do you do about serial road ragers? That’s the question sparked by the arrest of Miyazaki Fumio (宮崎文夫), the suspect in a road rage incident that’s captivated and alarmed the nation.
Police were called to the Joban Expressway in Moriya, Ibaraki Prefecture on August 10 in response to reports of a driver assaulting another driver. Miyazaki forced the victim to pull over and started punching him through the window, repeatedly threatening to kill him.
A woman with Miyazaki — later identified as Kimoto Natsuko — began taking pictures of the whole incident on her ガラケー (garake)-style flip phone. Miyazaki wasn’t apprehended that day, but investigators were able to ID Miyazaki from the dashboard camera in the victim’s vehicle. They placed Miyazaki on the nation’s wanted list, and finally arrested him on August 18th.
Miyazaki initially resisted arrest, claiming over and over again he didn’t do anything wrong. Since then it’s been reported that he’s confessed to the assault.
Police also took Kimoto into custody for harboring a wanted criminal in her apartment. Eye witness reports have her buying two bento sets at a nearby konbini; the two suspects also lived in the same apartment building.
That’s not all, though. Turns out Miyazaki’s vehicle, a black SUV, has been linked to other road-rage incidents in both Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures in July, with a serious incident occurring on July 23. At the time of the Joban incident he was driving a white SUV while his own vehicle was in the repair shop; police tracked down and quickly confiscated the black SUV.
And Miyazaki’s automotive transgressions aren’t limited to his own car. In March 2018 Miyazaki pursued and assaulted a taxi driver after effectively taking him prisoner. The case was discussed in detail on the NTV morning program Sukkiri!, where the driver explained that Miyazaki gave him a list of 19 locations to visit in Osaka’s Amerika-mura. Miyazaki, in effect, held the taxi driver hostage for 12 hours.
The media, naturally, is having a field day with the story. Commentator Cunning Takeyama (カンニング竹山) said he understood how drivers get irritated with bad driving manners, but that ultimately people who pursue those bad drivers and attack them shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Segments touting the power of dashboard cameras flood the screens. Sales of dashboard cameras, known as ドライブレコーダー (drive recorder), have peaked since the incident occurred. Experts are now warning drivers who find themselves the target of road rage to never get out of the car or open the windows.
On a heavier note, people who have lost loved ones to road-rage incidents are also speaking out, demanding harsher punishments for road-rage drivers. Yet preventing road rage incidents from happening is easier said than done. There is no significant law in place that clearly defines what road-rage is.
Miyazaki may be off the roads for now, but since he hasn’t killed anybody, whatever time he serves in prison, if any, is likely to be short. Even if Miyazaki is stripped of his license (here’s hoping), he’ll likely continue to be a threat to those around him with considerable rehabilitation and counseling.
