Shizuoka, Japan – The Kakegawa District Court in Shizuoka Prefecture fined actress Ryoko Hiroso, 45, 700,000 yen for a serious traffic accident caused by reckless driving on a highway.
Details of the horrific accident
According to the indictment, the accident occurred at 6:45 p.m. on April 7 of last year on the Shin-Tomi Expressway. The investigation revealed that Hiroso was driving at an excessive speed of 185 kilometers per hour when she rear-ended a semi-trailer truck. The collision resulted in serious injuries to a male passenger in the car, who suffered a fracture requiring extensive medical treatment.
Summary legal proceedings
The ruling came after prosecutors requested summary proceedings, a system that allows fines to be imposed through written procedures without a formal public trial. Despite being found guilty of reckless driving, the prosecution decided not to pursue other allegations against her. These allegations concerned an assault on a nurse at the hospital where she was taken after the accident, an incident that led to her temporary arrest the day after the crash before her subsequent release.
From stardom to the dock
This ruling is a blow to Hiroso’s career, which saw her rise to fame in the 1990s. She starred in notable dramas such as “Beach Boys” and also played a leading role in the acclaimed Japanese film “Departures,” which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
