TOKYO (TR) – Police have arrested a 23-year-old Chinese national who caused a multi-car collision while speeding in a borrowed Porsche, injuring three persons, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 26).
Xu Zhenda, a company executive with no fixed address in Japan, was initially taken into custody by Tokyo Metropolitan Police for violating the Road Traffic Act. Police have since upgraded the charge to dangerous driving resulting in injury.
The violent crash unfolded at approximately 5:35 p.m. on June 9 at an intersection in front of Gokokuji Temple in Bunkyo Ward. According to the police traffic investigation division, Xu accelerated to speeds reaching 100 kilometers per hour just before attempting a high-speed right turn.
The luxury vehicle struck a curb, and the force of the impact sent the Porsche tearing through the center median. The car then slammed head-on into two vehicles that were waiting at a red light in the opposite lane.
Three men and women in the struck vehicles sustained minor head and neck injuries in the collision.
Upon his arrest, Xu admitted to the allegations. “I thought it would be a waste of time to get caught at the signal,” he told investigators.
Police revealed that Xu is residing in Japan on a business management visa and does not possess a Japanese driver’s license. The Porsche involved in the wreck was registered to a Chinese acquaintance. Authorities are now exploring additional charges of unlicensed dangerous driving resulting in injury.
The incident comes amidst a crackdown on reckless driving in Japan. On the 25th, the Lower House unanimously passed a revision to the penal code regarding dangerous driving resulting in death or injury. The new legislation establishes strict numerical thresholds for prosecution, explicitly targeting drivers who exceed speed limits by 50 km/h or more on general roads.
