A police car's lights are seen in this file photo. (Mainichi/Kazuhisa Soneda)

       MORIOKA -- A senior city board of education official in this northeast Japan city was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on Sept. 10 after speeding away from police and rolling his car.

       According to Iwate Prefectural Police's Morioka Police Station, officers spotted a vehicle driving erratically on a municipal road in the city's Shinjo-cho area at about 2:30 a.m., and attempted to pull the driver over for questioning. However, the driver hit the gas and attempted to escape. Police pursued in a patrol car for about 2 kilometers, where they found the vehicle owned by 57-year-old Toshiaki Hatakeyama on its side near Morioka Tenmangu Shrine.

       A breathalyzer test showed an alcohol level exceeding the legal limit. Hatakeyama has admitted to drinking and driving, police said.

       At a Sept. 10 press conference, the Morioka Municipal Government revealed that Hatakeyama is assistant head of the education board's history and culture section. Iwate Prefecture is under a self-declared coronavirus state of emergency, and has called on municipal staff to refrain from eating and drinking in groups.

       "This incident occurred when citizens are being asked not to make unnecessary trips out because of the coronavirus, and is extremely regrettable," education board chief Jinichi Chiba told reporters. "We will put our full effort into preventing a recurrence."

       The city will meet with Hatakeyama later to ascertain the details of the accident, and decide on disciplinary action.

       Hatakeyama is the second Morioka Municipal Board of Education official to be arrested this year, following an assault arrest in June.

       (Japanese original by Yuga Matsumoto and Yutaka Yamada, Morioka Bureau)

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