Japanese prosecutors on Dec. 24, 2025, charged a U.S. sailor with negligent driving resulting in death followingn a deadly collision in April 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA, Japan — Japanese prosecutors indicted a U.S. sailor last week on charges stemming from a deadly motorcycle collision earlier this year.
Mark Paul Paloay Callos, 32, was charged with negligent driving resulting in death, a spokesman for the Yokosuka Branch of the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday.
Police allege Callos made a right turn April 27 in Yokosuka’s Heisei neighborhood and collided with a Japanese motorcyclist, Shinji Takahashi, 47, in the intersection.
A spokesperson for Naval Forces Japan could not be reached Monday for further comment.
Takahashi was pronounced dead less than an hour later at a nearby hospital. Police on Dec. 9 recommended prosecutors charge the sailor, who is stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, a Yokosuka city police spokesman said by phone Dec. 12.
Prosecutors, not police, decide formal charges under Japan’s criminal justice system.
If convicted, Callos could face up to seven years imprisonment and a maximum fine of about $6,000, according to the Japan Legal Support Center website. In addition, individuals at fault in such situations typically pay a large sum to the family as a measure of atonement.
Takahashi’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the sailor last week seeking roughly $772,000, according to their attorney, Masahiko Goto. The lawsuit lists Takahashi’s three sons, his mother, two brothers and his partner as plaintiffs.
Their suit alleges serious negligence and seeks compensation for the loss of a family member, according to a copy of the filing provided by Goto.
