A 72-year-old man from Kanazawa, charged with driving 190 km/h on the Hokuriku Expressway in Ishikawa Prefecture, stunned the courtroom at his first hearing on the 24th by reversing course and pleading not guilty, declaring he would “fight this all the way to the Supreme Court.” The thread lit up with reactions ranging from cost-benefit math on fines versus legal fees, to the difference between losing your license and a criminal conviction, to jabs at the lawyer cashing in.
The first hearing was held on the 24th at Kanazawa District Court for a 72-year-old Kanazawa resident who was arrested and indicted in March for driving 190 km/h on the Hokuriku Expressway in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on suspicion of extreme speeding.
[See photos] “I’m not guilty” — 72-year-old man who hit 190 km/h on the Hokuriku Expressway declares at first hearing, “I’m taking this to the Supreme Court”
The man pleaded not guilty and told reporters, “I’ll fight this all the way to the Supreme Court.”
At 72, he's got nothing left to lose, and more free time than anyone.
191Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:05:22.29ID:4kUt9GdP0
>>3 True, it'll keep his brain sharp. Even if he loses, it's not the kind of crime that gets you real prison time. Even as a convict he still gets his full pension. And at his age it's not like he's writing résumés anymore. Though there's a good chance the dementia's already kicked in.
236Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:32:49.37ID:ZjPqDWAm0
>>3 They should just publish his real name. He might end up losing his relationship with his kids, wife, grandkids, and other relatives over this.
8Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:08:27.99ID:Ylh3LRqw0
He's already had his license suspended — what's even the point of fighting it now?
147Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:43:37.40ID:NccNCBv30
>>8 As people get older, more of them lose the ability to control their anger and emotions. You know how you sometimes see old guys yelling in the middle of the street? You'd think 'act your age,' but it's actually the opposite going on.
174Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:57:30.50ID:oWIsiGgE0
>>8 There's a difference between an administrative penalty and a criminal penalty, you know. And besides, his license suspension is already over.
11Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:09:04.13ID:Y7OwU9ml0
If it's just plain speeding with no accident, the fine should be under 100,000 yen. Is he fighting the accuracy of the old speed cameras or the enforcement method, like people used to? Or is he just killing time?
55Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:46:52.69ID:vpAVWgyZ0
>>11 Going that fast, he's done for. If it were 10 or 20 km/h over, sure, fight it.
14Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:12:20.82ID:hvVM0Ran0
The real problem is that cars can even go faster than necessary in the first place.
109Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:29:43.35ID:2HHU3Vak0
>>14 Starting with mopeds, no less.
17Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:18:32.32ID:WavRjirZ0
So how much is the fine anyway? Wouldn't the court costs end up higher than that?
21Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:21:55.51ID:Y7OwU9ml0
>>17 Under 100,000 yen. From what I've heard, it's usually around 80,000.
24Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:24:52.15ID:zlvsiRSm0
>>17 It wouldn't be a fine, it'd be prison time — like 3 months with a 2-year suspended sentence.
75Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:10:57.26ID:4vZdPB450
>>17 The lawyer sure found himself a nice juicy case here lol
30Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:31:13.33ID:QX/4b3xZ0
Guess as long as lawyers exist, crime's never going away.
34Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:34:44.86ID:uc9jpl3Z0
>>30 Money talks, even in hell. It's a profession built on turning black into white — you pretty much have to be a con artist to do the job.
40Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:36:52.60ID:OvS31dfE0
> At the first hearing on the 24th at Kanazawa District Court, when asked about the charges, the man replied "apparently I was speeding," then abruptly flipped to claiming "I'm not guilty." Huh? If you were speeding, you're guilty!
42Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:37:57.90ID:qLk2GJRD0
It's just a speeding ticket, quit making it such a big deal lol Just leave the guy alone.
46Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:40:20.91ID:Qtla2DfP0
>>40 I think his claim is more like "the prosecution says I was speeding, but I'm not guilty," not "I really was speeding, but I'm not guilty."
54Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:46:18.38ID:OvS31dfE0
>>46 If it's not true, why can't he just say so? > Q: Why were you speeding at the time? Defendant: Please hold that question — I'll answer it gradually, on the way up to the Supreme Court.
65Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 05:58:49.45ID:9j3aXLiA0
District court: guilty. High court: guilty. Supreme Court: dismissed. Isn't that a possible outcome too?
103Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:24:56.11ID:GJupNwQK0
>>65 Wouldn't a dismissed appeal just finalize the district court ruling as-is? Though I guess there's also the pattern where they push it all the way to the Supreme Court just to set an example precedent.
108Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:29:32.14ID:8Bt8AOHM0
>>103 That wouldn't even work as an example — if anything it'd cheapen the Supreme Court. A dismissal at the high court is more than enough.
135Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:40:56.91ID:egHFIUve0
>>103 Appeal to the high court is called 'kōso.' Appeal to the Supreme Court is called 'jōkoku.' Together, kōso and jōkoku fall under the general term 'jōso' (appeal).
77Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:12:08.45ID:6ADmzmlJ0
Stop calling a 20-year-old outdated model a 'luxury car'
91Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:20:48.00ID:SL3Y54xX0
>>77 Polish it up nice and shiny and it could still pass for a 5-million-yen car.
82Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:16:23.58ID:pkRNbk/M0
Everyone criticizing this guy probably speeds too in everyday life. It's not a matter of degree — the second you go over the legal limit, you're the same kind of person.
88Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:19:21.14ID:6ZDmfwjF0
>>82 No, that's not right. Is slapping someone in a fight the same as beating them to death?
89Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:20:05.76ID:0P0DrQPL0
>>82 You seem like the type who'd be the one crawling at the front of a traffic jam on the bypass.
124Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:36:12.30ID:9HMdGAN60
>>82 And when everyone else gets caught, they just accept it as bad luck. That's all there is to it.
139Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:41:42.29ID:jlFwQSwU0
Even going 100 km/h over, they'll normally knock it down to something like 39 km/h over and you just pay a 35,000 yen fine and it's done. This old man probably ended up in a real trial because he resisted the police from the start. Well, he'll probably get a suspended prison sentence out of it, so for a bored old man, dodging that 35,000 yen fine is basically a win. He'll pick up a criminal record, but since he's not exactly submitting résumés at his age anymore, it's no big deal.
173Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:57:24.54ID:HberSdSd0
>>139 If it were a fine, wouldn't it go to trial anyway? Also, does a 35,000 yen fine even exist? A fine that small, on par with a traffic penalty, is pretty rare.
183Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 06:59:56.72ID:S/kpdyAW0
>>173 I was just trying to show off that it's technically called a 'reikikin' (traffic penalty), not a 'bakkin' (criminal fine) — don't play dumb and make it needlessly roundabout.
199Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:10:27.76ID:ug8yr6oZ0
>>183 It's like grabbing someone who just mentioned 'my wife' and smugly going, 'Oh wow, you're not even that old and you already have a son old enough to be married? Impressive — how old were you when you had him?' (deliberately misreading 'yome' as 'son's wife' instead of 'my wife'). That's exactly what >>173 is doing.
247Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:37:51.31ID:OkhSeRIZ0
But honestly, isn't some idiot crawling along in the passing lane way more dangerous than a guy flooring it?
251Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:39:23.28ID:9P43GmvK0
>>247 Please, never drive a car for the rest of your life, okay?
252Anonymous2026/08/25(火) 07:39:26.24ID:rtLMSlya0
>>247 That's not really dangerous, though. Just annoying.
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