Man ‘punched mum unconscious’ on 100th birthday
TOKYO: A man was arrested yesterday for punching his mother in the head on her 100th birthday, leaving her in critical condition, police said.
Hiromu Nozawa, 69, is suspected of committing the assault at their home in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, at around 4am on Saturday. The woman suffered an acute subdural haemorrhage and remains unconscious, the police said.
Nozawa admitted to the charge, saying he got mad when his mother demanded to go to the bathroom in a loud voice.
According to the police, the two lived together, with Nozawa taking care of his mother. He called for an ambulance on Saturday afternoon after noticing his mother’s condition following the attack.
In other news, A minivehicle driven by a 97-year-old man hit a woman and rammed into three cars in the northeastern Japan city of Fukushima on Saturday afternoon, killing the pedestrian and injuring four other women, police said.
Police yesterday arrested Kuniyoshi Namishio on — According to the police, Namishio ran into Hitomi Kawamura, 42, before crashing into three other vehicles waiting at a traffic signal around 4:45pm Kawamura was pronounced dead at a hospital.
All four women in the other vehicles — in their 20s, 70s, 80s and 100s — sustained minor injuries, the police said, adding Ms Namishio suffered a head injury.
The accident took place on a straight stretch of a two-lane road and the police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Mr Namishio’s vehicle collided with the three other cars as he tried to return to the road after running onto the sidewalk.
The number of traffic accidents involving elderly drivers has been on the increase against the backdrop of Japan’s rapidly greying society.
The government is urging the elderly to return their driver’s licenses voluntarily if they feel unsure about their physical ability.
People aged 70 or older are also required to attend special lectures about safe driving when they renew their licenses and in certain circumstances those aged 75 or older must undertake tests for.