Japan bus driver arrested after fatal Banetsu Expressway crash in Koriyama

A bus driver has been arrested after a crash on the Banetsu Expressway in Koriyama that killed a teenage student and injured others on a boys' tennis team trip.

Police said the driver told investigators he had "misjudged the speed" before the vehicle hit a crash barrier.

The driver, Tetsuo Wakayama, 68, was arrested on Thursday.

Investigators said he was driving at 90km/h to 100km/h in an 80km/h zone when the bus crashed on Wednesday morning.

Fukushima prefectural police also searched bus operator Kanbara Tetsudo in Gosen, Niigata prefecture, on Friday morning.

Police said they are investigating possible violations linked to unlicensed commercial operations.

According to police, Wakayama did not hold the type of licence required to drive passengers for hire.

No significant skid marks were found at the crash site, they added.

The bus was carrying 20 members of the boys' tennis team from Niigata's Hokuetsu High School.

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