Female Driver Arrested for Alleged Negligent Homicide
25-year-old Yang was driving a rented passenger car that departed from Fukuoka. Shortly after entering the highway on the evening of the 11th, and while en route from Kumamoto Prefecture to Kagoshima, she may have lost control due to unfamiliarity with the road conditions, crashing into a concrete wall beside the road. Among the three passengers, Xu Zihui from Taipei City suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at noon on the 12th.
It is understood that Xu Zihui was the younger sister of Yang’s boyfriend and was seated behind the front passenger seat.
The car grazed the left-side concrete wall, causing fatal head injuries to Xu, who was sitting behind the driver's seat. The other two passengers, aged 26 and 27 — Yang’s brother and a man surnamed Jian — sustained minor injuries to their waists and left shoulders.
The female driver, surnamed Yang, was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide and is currently under investigation at the Yatsushiro Police Station. Japanese authorities are looking into the detailed cause of the accident. The Fukuoka Office stated that Yang is in stable condition and has arranged for her father to visit her on the 14th.
Lin Anbang, the administrative vice president of Taiwan Normal University, stated that the deceased, Xu Zihui, was a PhD student in the Environmental Education program. She had traveled to Japan with friends for both tourism and academic research. The university expressed deep regret and sorrow over her tragic death. Xu, who had a great love for Taiwan, left behind the unfulfilled wish to contribute to the protection of Taiwan’s environment, passing away in a foreign land — marking a significant loss for Taiwan’s environmental education community.
Xu Zihui: Caring for the Environment Became Her Unfulfilled Wish
As a student in the Environmental Education program, Xu often took opportunities to gain knowledge both domestically and internationally. She was passionate about hiking and exploring mountainous regions, and loved “loving Taiwan on foot,” immersing herself in the lives of indigenous communities. It is understood that she had scaled over 50 of Taiwan’s famous peaks — a remarkable feat that reflected her deep care for the country.
Over the past two years, Xu had traveled to the United States to attend academic conferences and observe American approaches to environmental education. During her trip to Japan, she also intended to study how Japan plans and implements environmental education, hoping to integrate her learnings to contribute to society in the future. Tragically, her life was cut short in a foreign land.
Parents Return to Taiwan with Daughter’s Ashes
Xu Zihui’s parents arrived in Kyushu on the morning of the 13th. Accompanied by staff from the Fukuoka Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they handled the cremation and related formalities in the afternoon, and returned to Taiwan on the evening flight CI-117 operated by China Airlines.
Xu’s father carried her ashes in a carry-on bag as he walked toward the boarding gate. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Immigration Agency were stationed there to assist with entry procedures. When passing through the immigration checkpoint, an official stamped Xu’s passport as if she had entered the country. Her father softly said, “She’s back, we’ll be home soon.” He also bowed to the media present, saying, “Thank you for your hard work,” before leaving with his family.