A member of the local revitalization cooperation team in Tateshina Town, a self-inflicted accident falling into a gutter due to drunk driving

On November 21, 2024, the town of Tateshina in Nagano Prefecture announced that a man in his 40s, who is a member of the town's community revitalization cooperation team, caused a self-inflicted accident due to drunk driving.

The man has an employment contract with Tateshina Town and works for the tourism association. Late at night on the 19th, I had an accident while driving a car and dropped it into a gutter on the side of the road. Police investigation revealed that the man had been under the influence of alcohol and is now in quarantine.

The local Nagano Broadcasting System reported that the man said that he drove after drinking alcohol at a social gathering at work, giving the impression that he was driving home from a social gathering. On the other hand, when the editorial department of Good Travel News Newsletter checked with the Tateshina Town Commerce, Industry and Tourism Division, it was explained that "I sent it to the man's home in the car of a colleague who does not drink alcohol."

Tateshina Town said, "It is truly regrettable that such a situation has occurred when the town staff should take the initiative in eradicating drunk driving, and we deeply apologize to the townspeople."

The Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteers are a program promoted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to move from urban areas to rural areas and work for the purpose of revitalizing the region and promoting settlement. The cost of hiring volunteers is funded by the national budget.