Man arrested for causing friend of 30 years to drown

SHIZUOKA — Police in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 53-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of causing his friend of 30 years to drown in Lake Hamana.

According to police, Michio Hashimoto is accused of causing Takeshi Yoneyama, 52, to drown, by driving his car into the lake at around 8:30 p.m. on Oct 21, Kyodo News reported. Yoneyama was partially disabled and couldn't walk without a cane. He was in the front passenger seat when the car went into the water.

A passerby saw the car go into the water and called 110. Police said Yoneyama was found near the water’s edge and declared dead at the scene.

Hashimoto was located the next morning on the shore about four kilometers away. He had an injury to his leg.

Police said Hashimoto at first told them he mistakenly drove into the lake after losing control of the wheel, but later admitted doing it deliberately.

Police have learned that Hashimoto owed Yoneyama a lot of money.

The two men had known each other since their university days.

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