A car rammed into a group of pedestrians in central Tokyo on Tuesday, injuring seven people, with the driver arrested on the spot, police and rescue workers said.
Police arrested Junichi Ono, 52, on suspicion of negligence resulting in injuries. He slightly injured his forehead in the accident and was quoted by police as saying that he had stepped on the wrong pedal.
The car ignored a red light and crashed into people at a crossing before running on to the sidewalk. The seven people — six men and a woman ranging in age from 26 to 56 — are conscious, including three men who sustained severe injuries.
The incident occurred around 8:35 a.m. at an intersection about 500 meters south of Takadanobaba Station in Shinjuku Ward, near the campuses of Waseda University and Gakushuin Women's College.
"The traffic light for the pedestrians was green at the time but the car didn't slow down in front of the crossing, and hit people one after another, leaving the driver staring vacantly for a while," said a 25-year-old woman who witnessed the scene.
