CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have accused a 54-year-old woman of murder over an incident on Saturday in which she drove her vehicle into the sea in Funabashi City, killing her male passenger.
At around 1:30 p.m., Miyuki Harada, of no known occupation, allegedly drove her car into the sea with Masayuki Mizushima, 80, in the passenger seat at a port in Hamamachi.
Although Mizushima died in the incident, police did not reveal the cause of death.
Harada, who lives in Funabashi, also went into the water but managed to escape from the car on her own. She suffered injuries that are not considered life-threatening, police said.
On Sunday, police accused Harada of murder, an allegation she denies. “My head panicked and I felt like I wanted to die,” she said, “so I plunged my car into the sea. I was so preoccupied with my own problems that I didn’t have room to think about the victim.”
Security camera footage shot at the time of incident showed the car running parallel to the wharf. It then suddenly changed direction and plunged into the sea.
According to the police, Harada explained that she and Mizushima used to work together. “We were the kind of people who would talk to each other about their problems,” she said.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances that led to the incident, which took place at a port area lined with logistics facilities about one kilometer southwest of Minami-Funabashi Station on the JR Keiyo Line.