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Buddhist priest sent to prosecutors over road rage

IBARAKI (TR) – A Buddhist priest has been sent to prosecutors over a rage incident in Kasama City on Sunday that included him driving for nearly 1 kilometer with a woman atop the hood of his vehicle, reports TBS News (April 6).

At around 12:30 p.m., Kansho Tashiro, the chief priest of a temple in Kasama, drove off with the woman, 30, atop the hood of the vehicle on National Route 355.

Police allege that Tashiro, 78, attempted to shake the woman from the hood by weaving and abruptly applying the brakes over a distance of 960 meters to kill her.

“I drove with the woman on the hood, but I did not intend to kill,” Tashiro told the Ishioka Police Station in commenting on allegations of attempted murder. He was sent to prosecutors on Tuesday.

Kansho Tashiro (Twitter)

According to police, Tashiro was not acquainted with the woman, a dental hygienist living in Bando City.

In security camera footage, Tashiro’s white sedan can be seen moving on a road past a parking lot as the woman clings to the hood.

Prior to the incident, they were both driving vehicles on the Joban Expressway. After getting into a dispute, they both exited at the Ishioka-Omitama Smart Interchange.

At some point thereafter, the woman got out and stood in front of Tashiro’s vehicle. As he drove off, she climbed onto the hood.