His son had only four months left to serve in his national service.
Mr Hiroyuki Matsuo, 54, told reporters that there were plans to send the 21-year-old for further studies overseas.
But now, the plans will never work out for Mr Yukio Matsuo.
He was killed on Friday at around 6.30am when the SUV he was driving went out of control, smashing head-on into a tree on Changi Coast Road.
The New Paper on Sunday understands that Mr Matsuo was an engineering technician in the Navy.
The car’s five passengers, believed to be male Navy regulars in their 20s to 30s, were all injured in the accident.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the passengers were taken to Changi General Hospital. Two of them were unconscious.
REMORSE
In an interview with chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao, Mr Matsuo expressed his remorse towards the five injured passengers.
He said: “I hear that the other two unconscious victims are in serious condition.
“If they die, or have some permanent disability, I will feel very bad. I’ve done them wrong.”
Mr Matsuo and his wife, Madam Grace Tham, run the Matsuo Sushi Restaurant at Goldhill Plaza. He declined to speak more when contacted by TNPS.
But Shin Min Daily News quoted Mr Matsuo as saying that his son used to take public transport, which was time-consuming.
The younger Mr Matsuo would reportedly come home close to midnight.
In order to cut down on his travelling time, he started driving to camp four months ago, in March.
In the report, his mother said the young man was a careful driver who would not speed.
The impact of the crash was so great that the younger Mr Matsuo was trapped inside the wreckage after the crash.
An SCDF spokesman told TNPS that he had to be extricated using hydraulic rescue tools. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Matsuo said he has been praying for the five injured passengers to recover.
He said: “I already lost my son, I don’t want other victim’s parents to experience the same as me.”
This article was first published on July 31, 2016.
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