Alcoholism seen as factor in increase in drunken driving in Japan

A street in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, on June 30, 2021, two days after a truck driven by a drunk driver plowed into a group of elementary school students | JIJI

JIJI
June 28, 2024

Three years have passed since a truck driven by a drunken driver plowed into a group of elementary school students in the city of Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, resulting in two deaths and three severe injuries.

Since that tragic incident, drunken driving accidents have continued to occur, with approximately 2,300 cases reported last year, marking an increase from the previous year. One contributing factor is thought to be alcohol addiction.

"People who are addicted to alcohol often cry when they drink, wondering why they can’t stop," said Hiroaki Shiokawa, 58, chairman of an abstinence association in Chiba Prefecture. Shiokawa himself has battled the same addiction.