A 65-year-old man was struck and killed by an unmarked police car at an intersection in the city of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Saturday evening, prefectural police said.
According to police, the car, driven by senior police officer Hiroshi Konishi, hit Takao Kurihara at around 11:10 p.m., as it was heading toward the home of a woman who reported that a stranger had broken into her residence.
The car was moving at around 80 km per hour and had its lights and siren on, police said. They added that the traffic light at the intersection in question was flashing yellow -- indicating that cars could pass without stopping so long as drivers kept alert.
Police said it was likely that Konishi had not been paying enough attention to the road.
Officials at Kurashiki Police Station expressed regret over the incident, and promised to take measures aimed to prevent a recurrence.