A sightseeing bus and a recreational vehicle collided head-on Sunday in Hokkaido, leaving the RV driver seriously injured and some 40 bus passengers with minor injuries, police officials said.
The car driver, whose identity was not immediately available, is a man believed to be in his 50s.
The accident took place around 12:30 p.m. on Route 235 in the town of Shizunai, Hokkaido.
Police were still investigating the cause of the accident but believe the RV deviated from its course, they said.
The bus, carrying sightseers from Osaka, was on the way from Shin-Chitose airport to the southern Hokkaido town of Erimo.
Cargo ships collide off Yamaguchi
YAMAGUCHI (Kyodo) Two cargo ships collided in the Inland Sea in Yamaguchi Prefecture early Sunday, causing one to spill an undetermined amount of fuel, coast guard officials said.
The 499-ton cement tanker Tokuhiro collided with the 698-ton Kaijin, a tanker transporting liquefied petroleum gas, at around 3:10 a.m. about 500 meters off the coast of Amatajima Island.
The Kaijin suffered a gash, about 4 meters wide by 3 meters high in its port side, where the engine room is located, causing fuel to leak, the officials said.
Five ships, including Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels, came to the ship's rescue and managed to stem the leak.
The Tokuhiro suffered a damaged bow but was able to sail under its own power, according to the officials.
None of the seven crew members aboard the Kaijin or the five on the Tokuhiro was injured, they said.