16-year-old boy dies after hit-and-run incident

OSAKA, Nov. 16 Kyodo -
A 16-year-old boy was killed Sunday in a hit-and-run incident in Tondabayashi,
Osaka Prefecture, police said, suspecting that he was dragged by the vehicle
for several kilometers.

The victim, identified as Tatsuya Higashigawa, a part-time newspaper delivery
man who lived in the city, was apparently hit on a road at around 2:50 a.m.
while delivering newspapers on a motorbike.
The victim's body was found in a parking lot in Kawachinagano in the
prefecture, about 5 km away, at around 8:30 a.m.
The police later found a station wagon with a dent on its front parked near
Higashigawa's body and arrested Tamotsu Ichikawa, 41, a self-described
carpenter who owns the vehicle and lives in the neighborhood, after he admitted
to causing the incident.
Ichikawa is being held on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death and
violating the Road Traffic Law.
''I hit a motorbike in front of me while I was driving. I drove off to the
parking lot because I was drunk,'' the suspect was quoted as telling
investigators.
The victim is believed to have been dragged all the way to the parking lot
after being struck.
The incident is a stark reminder of a similar incident in the prefecture last
month when a 30-year-old company employee was killed after being run over and
dragged for about 3 km.
A 22-year-old bar host was arrested later for allegedly causing the incident.
He was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of that incident
as well.
==Kyodo