Fury Erupts in Japan: Driver's 'No Japanese' Claim After Child Accident Ignites Debate on Foreign Licenses and Immigration
A traffic accident at a crosswalk in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, has sparked significant controversy on social media after a Sri Lankan national, who was involved, stated that he "does not understand Japanese." On February 18th, a 10-year-old girl was hit by a kei car at a crosswalk in Suzuka City. Following a report from a passerby stating that "a kei car ran a red light and hit a girl on a crosswalk," police arrested the driver, 54-year-old Junaidin Mohamad Tariq, a Sri Lankan national, on suspicion of negligent driving causing injury. The girl sustained bruises to her waist and left leg but is not in life-threatening condition. Tariq's statement that he "does not understand Japanese" drew a flood of criticism on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Comments such as "Don't let those who don't understand Japanese get a license," "Can't he read traffic signals?", and "'I don't understand Japane...