The family of Tsubasa Ito filed a civil suit against Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaden Edwin Llanos in Yokohama District Court, seen here on April 25, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA, Japan — A U.S. Navy sailor convicted in Japan of causing a fatal traffic accident in 2024 is facing a civil lawsuit by the victim’s family, which seeks more than $700,000 in compensation.
The family of Tsubasa Ito filed suit Friday against Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaden Edwin Llanos in Yokohama District Court, alleging that Llanos has failed to properly compensate the family despite promises to do so.
The suit also named the Japanese government and a sailor who owned the car driven by Llanos.
A special civil law accompanying the status of forces agreement, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of the U.S. military population in Japan, stipulates that the Japanese government is liable for compensation for damages caused illegally by the U.S. military during official duty.
“Through this lawsuit, we hope to clarify the [Japanese] government’s responsibility and establish a system to prevent a recurrence,” the mother said in the statement.
Although the collision occurred while Llanos was off duty, the Ito family alleges the Navy failed in its duty to adequately educate him how to drive in Japan.
Llanos has since left the country and attempts to contact him have failed, the family’s attorney, Masahiko Goto, said during a Friday news conference.
“Since the verdict, we have not heard from him at all, and we don’t even know where he is now. We strongly hope that he will offer sincere atonement as he said,” the mother, whom Goto has not identified, said in a written statement to the media.
Llanos, who had been assigned to the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge, was sentenced to 1½ years in prison in May after he pleaded no contest to negligent driving causing death in the collision that killed 22-year-old Ito on Sept. 18, 2024.
During the trial, Llanos admitted to making an illegal right turn at a busy intersection near Yokosuka Naval Base, where his vehicle struck Ito’s motorcycle.
Judge Yasushi Katada, during the May 27 sentencing at the district court’s Yokosuka branch, suspended Llanos’ sentence for four years, meaning he won’t serve time unless he commits another offense during that period.
Llanos and his command at the time offered about $2,100 in condolence money, a unique feature of Japan that can play a factor in court. His insurance also paid the family $210,000.
The family, citing other fatal traffic collisions involving U.S. military personnel in Japan, said they question the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s driving education.
U.S. Forces Japan requires all service members seeking a driver’s license in Japan to take a four-hour course and complete a written exam.
“We strongly hope that the government will take this seriously so that our son’s death will not be in vain and that no other families will have to endure the same grief,” the mother’s statement said.
Goto and a spokesperson for Naval Forces Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment and additional information Monday.
