3 Children Mourned 20 Years after Fukuoka Drunken-Driving Crash

Fukuoka, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)--The southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of a high-profile drunken-driving crash that killed three young siblings, with a rally held to remember the victims and vow to eradicate intoxicated driving.

The event was attended by some 450 people, including Seitaro Hattori, governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima, and the mother of the three victims.

"Don't drink and drive, don't let others do it, don't tolerate it and don't overlook it," Hattori said.

Kaori Onuma, a 49-year-old mother of the three children killed in the tragedy, spoke about her grief at the event. "Every time I am referred to as a bereaved family member, and every time a picture of my children is referred to as a photo of the deceased, it is so painful, but I hadn't been able to say that those words are painful," she said.

She recited a poem reflecting on the past 20 years, reading, "When it is so hard to live, what is the point of being kept alive?"

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]