Taxi Driver Arrested for Killing a Pigeon Sparks Uproar in Japan

Taxi Driver "The Road Belongs to Humans"
"The Pigeon Should Have Avoided the Car" Protest

Recently, a taxi driver in Japan was arrested on charges of hitting and killing a pigeon with his car, sparking controversy. The taxi driver claimed, "The road belongs to humans, so the pigeon should have avoided the car."

According to Japan's NHK News and others on the 6th, the Japanese police arrested a man in his 50s who was driving a taxi on Nishishinjuku Street in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, around 1 p.m. on the 13th of last month for hitting and killing a pigeon.

Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

The man stopped the taxi at a red light and started moving again when the light turned green. During this process, he suddenly pressed the accelerator pedal, eventually hitting a flock of pigeons in front of the taxi. One of the pigeons died, and a woman who witnessed the scene reported it to Japan's emergency number 110.

The police applied charges under the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Law, believing the man intentionally rushed into the flock of pigeons and killed one. The police explained, "(The man) did not slow down or honk the horn and hit the pigeons at speed," adding, "As a professional driver, he should have driven as a role model."

In response, the man admitted to killing the pigeon but told the police, "The road belongs to humans, so the pigeon should have avoided me."

Local netizens reacted with comments such as, "Intentionally killing pigeons is inappropriate," "Slowing down to avoid pigeons could risk a collision with vehicles behind. The arrest seems inappropriate," and "Killing animals is absolutely unacceptable, but it seems excessive to impose criminal punishment for this incident."

Meanwhile, Japan's Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Law stipulates imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 1 million yen (about 9 million won) for illegally capturing or killing wild birds. However, this is the first case in Japan where someone was detained for hitting and killing a pigeon.

However, Japan is known for its strict stance on animal cruelty. Earlier in June, a man in Nagoya City was arrested on charges of killing 13 crows by spreading pesticide-laced bait outside a licensed hunting area because "the crows' cawing was noisy."