TOKYO — A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced a 90-year-old former senior government official to five years in prison for a 2019 car accident which killed a 3-year-old girl and her mother, in a high-profile case in a fast-aging country where elderly drivers have become a safety concern.
The Tokyo District Court convicted Kozo Iizuka, a former top official at the trade and industry ministry, of negligence resulting in death and injury. His wife, who was a passenger in his car, was among nine people injured in the accident.
The death of the girl and her mother triggered an outpouring of sympathy and worries over the risk posed by a growing number of elderly drivers, prompting some to return their driver’s licenses.
