The Justice Ministry may double the maximum fine for drivers who cause death or injury in an accident to 1 million yen, ministry officials said Thursday.
Stiffer penalties have been sought since an accident in 1999 in which a drunk driver plowed his truck into a car on a Tokyo highway, killing the two girls inside.
The driver was given four years in prison for professional negligence resulting in death. But the girls' parents have been campaigning for stiffening the statutory penalties for malicious violations such as drunken driving.
In 2001, the Penal Code was amended to assign stiffer punishment for reckless driving that results in injury or death than for similar accidents attributed to negligence. The maximum prison term was raised to 15 years.
However, the statutory fine for negligent driving resulting in death or injury has remained unchanged.