Four Children and Their Father Found Dead in Car Submerged Offshore Central Japan; Police Investigating Cause

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:40 JST, October 16, 2023

TSU — The bodies of five people were found Sunday in a car that fell into the sea off Minami-Ise, Mie Prefecture.

Ise Police Station said that those who died were Masaki Hane, a 37-year-old self-employed man from the nearby city of Ise, his three sons Sena, 12; Reo, 10; Raru, 9; and his daughter Mea, 7.

The vehicle was found submerged at a location five meters deep and 15 meters from the shore. Fishing rods and a cooler were found in the car.

Hane’s family filed a missing persons report on Friday. Hane often took his children fishing in Minami-Ise and had set out Wednesday morning, according to police.

Police are investigating how the car went into the water.