Car suddenly accelerates at red light in Kobe, kills 21-year-old woman

On October 1, 2026, at approximately 3:40 p.m., a car stopped at a red light in Kobe's central Chuo Ward suddenly accelerated and struck multiple pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk on Flower Road (Hyogo Prefecture Route), near JR Sannomiya Station. The vehicle, which had been stationary in the left lane of a three-lane southbound road at the Kobe International House intersection, surged forward at an angle, striking pedestrians on the crosswalk before colliding with a truck and coming to rest on a median divider approximately 30 meters away.

Yura Kishigami, a 21-year-old woman from Higashinada Ward, was pronounced dead at a hospital following the incident. Three other pedestrians, aged 30 to 70, sustained minor injuries. The 50-year-old male driver of the vehicle sustained severe injuries. A truck driver in his 50s who was struck by the vehicle was uninjured.

Witnesses reported hearing an exceptionally loud engine sound, consistent with the accelerator being pressed to the floor, along with dragging noises during the collision. One witness stated the sound was "very loud" as if "the accelerator was pressed all the way down." The vehicle's front end was heavily damaged, with debris including the bumper left at the scene.

Police are investigating the incident under suspicion of violation of the Automobile Driving Punishment Law for negligent death and injury (過失致死傷). Authorities stated they do not yet understand the driver's condition or actions immediately before the accident and are gathering statements from passengers and other witnesses. The driver's recovery is pending before formal questioning can proceed.

The incident site is located approximately 300–350 meters south of JR Sannomiya Station in a commercial district with heavy foot and vehicle traffic. This is not the first serious vehicle-related incident in the Sannomiya area: in May 2016, a car mounted a sidewalk near Sannomiya Station, injuring five pedestrians; in April 2019, a city bus struck pedestrians at a nearby crosswalk, killing two and injuring six.