Yoshizawa Situation

[Shoujo Q]

It's being reported on the news this morning that Yoshizawa Hitomi was arrested for driving drunk and causing an accident and leaving the scene of an accident. There are reports that two people were injured.

She was supposed to appear with Yasuda Kei for an upcoming campaign event for McDonalds but was absent.


There are no words, considering her own brother died in a traffic accident back in 2007.

Update:
Here's a written news source.

[JonCC]

Well, guess we know who will be avoiding public life for a year or so.
Depending on the legal consequences of course.

[Starra]

No excuses for driving drunk, especially when you're fully aware of the consequences and have been directly affected by them.

[Shoujo Q]

It all depends on what Up-Front will do. Drop her or keep her.

I’m wondering if they will do anything about the H!P concert since it was filmed on the day she was there with Kago and Yasuda. They dropped the whole concert after Kago had her scandal and that was nowhere near as bad as this is.

I can’t see her going to jail either.

The best situation is, she pays up the nose in fines, disappears for awhile and then comes back doing some community work and drunk driving awareness.

[JonCC]

I saw someone mention Japan is one of the strictest countries when it comes to drunk driving.

Quick Google search and holy crap they weren't kidding.

But in Japan, things are somewhat different. The country of Kirin and Asahi beer is one of the strictest countries in the world when it comes to drink-driving prosecution.

The law refers to a figure of 0.03 blood-alcohol content, but for all intents and purposes, this country has a zero-tolerance policy towards drink-driving. So basically, one beer and you’re gone.

If you get caught with even a hint of alcohol on your breath, you will be tested and most probably fined. But if you are over that 0.03 limit then you could be sentenced to up to five years in prison or subject to a fine of up to $10,000.

But that’s only half the story. If you had passengers in the car with you when you got pulled over, they too will be prosecuted and fined for being so irresponsible as to let you drink and drive.

And there’s more! The bar that poured your beers and then let you drive can be fined too! We’re not joking. In a country where group harmony is more important than the individual, joint responsibility is taken to the extreme. So as you might imagine, nobody drinks and drives anymore in Japan.

In a land where ‘sake’ rice wine is a favourite beverage, drink-driving is seen as a serious crime that can lead to horrendous accidents. If you’re a company employee and you get caught for drink-driving, almost half of all companies will fire you on the spot.

https://www.motoring.com.au/drink-drivi ... ess-50586/

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Ah the early generations of Morning Musume: the scandal machine that never seems to run out of steam.

[Nayoko-Kihara]

No excuses for driving drunk, especially when you're fully aware of the consequences and have been directly affected by them.

My thoughts exactly.

What an idiotic, stupid decision, and a huge disappointment from someone I've admired for such a long time.

[Shabranikuduu]

I am so disappointed. She should have known better.

If 18yo Kago was expected to have known better for a crime that didn't hurt anyone (though I guess you could mention second-hand smoke), 33yo Yossy should be held to even higher standards.

[JonCC]

In English with image of her arrest at the link.

Hitomi Yoshizawa, a former member of the J-pop all-girl idol group Morning Musume, was arrested Thursday for injuring two people while driving under the influence of alcohol in an alleged hit-and-run incident, investigative sources said.

The 33-year-old ran a red light at around 7 a.m. in Tokyo's Nakano Ward and hit a female bicyclist in her 20s with her vehicle, injuring a male pedestrian in his 40s nearby as well.

Yoshizawa left the scene but called police about 15 minutes later, saying she hit a bicycle with her car. She then returned to the accident site, according to the sources.

She was quoted by the sources as telling the police, "I couldn't stop because traffic was busy at the site."

A 14-year-old junior high school student who witnessed the accident on her way to school told Kyodo News, "The car did not seem to apply brakes. I was surprised as a bicycle was thrown several meters and the car ran away."

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018 ... ident.html


NHK has video: https://twitter.com/nhk_news/status/1037681176440434689

[downfrontguy]

Welp, MM gen 1-4 gen lineup reunion was a mere fleeting dream after all... it only took like 18+ (Fukuda and Ichii) and 12+ years (kago) to bring around every individual involved.
DUI/Hit n' run is quite serious offense (evident on the serious tone of the arrest footage), Yoshizawa probably won't be active any time soon - if ever as older these ex-idol talent is, harder to come back after a scandal.

At least original MM lineup for Love Machine is still in the card for UF.

[JonCC]

The press will no doubt be asking about her to every current H!P member at any H!P press event for the foreseeable future.