KYODO NEWS - Dec 5, 2019 - 02:40 | Japan, All

A sightseeing bus plowed into the back of a chauffeur-driven car in central Tokyo on Wednesday, killing the sedan driver in his 50s and prompting police to arrest the bus driver at the site.

No passengers were on the bus -- operated by Hato Bus Co., which is known for its unique tours around the Japanese capital -- or in the sedan when the accident occurred at around 6:35 p.m. near the Tokyo metropolitan government building in Shinjuku Ward, the police said.

The sedan had been stopped at a red light when it was rear-ended by the tour bus, which continued over a divider to the far side of the road before smashing into the pole of a streetlamp where it came to rest, according to police.

Soichi Mori, the 37-year-old bus driver, was apparently uninjured but police temporarily released him to receive medical evaluation at a hospital.

The bus was in the midst of a night sightseeing tour after departing Tokyo Station with seven passengers at 5:10 p.m., but all seven had been dropped off at a nearby sushi restaurant before the accident took place, according to the bus company.

The company is known for its yellow buses marked with its logo dove, or "hato" in Japanese, having offered a range of tours in and around the Japanese capital for more than 70 years.