Truck Driver Arrested over Fatal Japan Tunnel Crash Says She Was Looking at Smartphone

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:32 JST, April 9, 2026

The truck driver who was arrested following a fatal multi-vehicle collision in a tunnel on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Mie Prefecture told police she had been looking at her smartphone, according to investigative sources.

Six people were killed in the crash, including three children.

Mitsuyo Mizutani, a 54-year-old driver of a large truck from Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, was arrested on suspicion of negligent driving causing death under the law punishing dangerous driving resulting in death or injury.

Mizutani, who rear-ended a vehicle that was in traffic behind a line of other vehicles due to roadwork, also told investigators she “was not driving that fast” but “was not watching the road carefully.”

Police believe she was looking at her smartphone and did not notice the traffic jam quickly enough, resulting in the crash.

The collision occurred at around 2:20 a.m. on March 20 near the exit of the Nonobori Tunnel on the southbound side.

The passenger car that was hit by Mizutani’s large truck, as well as another passenger vehicle involved in the collision, were crushed between the truck and a large trailer, causing vehicles to catch fire.