Russian diplomatic car and passenger car collide outside Foreign Ministry in Tokyo; 4 hurt
In short
A car with Russian diplomatic plates, which Jiji Press reported was a Russian Embassy vehicle, collided with a passenger car in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, at around 5:30 p.m. on October 8. Four people were injured, all with minor injuries, Jiji Press and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported, citing the Kojimachi police station. The diplomatic car, carrying one Russian woman in her 30s, appears to have crashed just after leaving the ministry.
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Two cars collided in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, at around 5:30 p.m. on October 8. Jiji Press put the time at about 5:35 p.m. and reported that one of the vehicles was a Russian Embassy car. Nippon TV described it as a car with diplomatic plates, and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported that it had Russian diplomatic plates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
Jiji Press, citing the Kojimachi police station, reported that four people were hurt, all with minor injuries; Nishi-Nippon Shimbun also reported four people lightly injured, and a Sankei Shimbun headline said four were hurt with no threat to life. TBS reported at least four injured, three of them conscious, while Nippon TV reported at least three injured, including drivers, all of them conscious. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
According to the police station, the diplomatic car carried only one person, a Russian woman in her 30s, and appears to have had the accident just after leaving the Foreign Ministry. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported that the car came out of the ministry grounds onto the road and collided with an ordinary vehicle heading toward the Imperial Palace. That car carried three men, two in their 20s and one in his 40s, Jiji Press reported. TBS reported that all the injured appeared to be foreign nationals and that one appeared to be connected to the Russian Embassy. [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
The scene is a straight road with four lanes in each direction. The car carrying the three men rode up onto the central median, and fragments of the car bodies were scattered nearby, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported. Nippon TV also reported that one car had mounted the median, possibly as a result of the collision, and TBS reported that the rear of the car with diplomatic plates was damaged. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
Police received an emergency call reporting an injury accident between vehicles in front of the Foreign Ministry, Nippon TV reported. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the cause and circumstances of the accident, and the Kojimachi police station is examining the details. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
Why it matters
One of the vehicles was a Russian diplomatic car that had just left the Foreign Ministry, according to police cited by Jiji Press and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun. Police have not given a cause and are investigating; the injuries reported are minor.
Key facts
- Two cars collided in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, at around 5:30 p.m. on October 8. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- One of the cars had Russian diplomatic plates; Jiji Press reported it was a Russian Embassy vehicle. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Four people were injured, all with minor injuries. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The diplomatic car carried only a Russian woman in her 30s and appears to have crashed just after leaving the ministry. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The other car carried three men, two in their 20s and one in his 40s, and was heading toward the Imperial Palace. [ 4 , 7 ]
- One car rode up onto the central median. [ 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Police are investigating the cause and circumstances. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Two cars collided in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, on October 8. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- One of the vehicles had diplomatic plates. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Four people were injured. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- The injuries were minor. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The diplomatic car carried one Russian woman in her 30s. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The other car carried three men and was heading toward the Imperial Palace. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- One car mounted the central median. [ 2 , 3 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- What caused the collision. Police are still investigating the circumstances and no cause has been given.
- The nationality of the three men in the passenger car. Only TBS reported that all the injured appeared to be foreign nationals; other outlets gave only their ages and sex.
- The exact number of injured. Nippon TV reported at least three injured, while TBS, Jiji Press, Sankei Shimbun and Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported four.
- The exact time of the collision. Most outlets gave about 5:30 p.m., while Jiji Press gave about 5:35 p.m.
- One of the vehicles was a Russian Embassy car. Reported by a single source so far; other outlets describe it as a car with Russian diplomatic plates.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Two cars collide in front of the Foreign Ministry in Kasumigaseki; police receive an emergency call. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- TBS reports at least four injured, one believed connected to the Russian Embassy. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV reports at least three injured in a collision involving a car with diplomatic plates. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Jiji Press reports one car was a Russian Embassy vehicle and that four people had minor injuries. [ 4 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports four injured with no threat to life. [ 6 ]
- Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reports the diplomatic car had just left the ministry grounds and the other car mounted the median. [ 8 ]