Nishikido Ryo (24) caused a minor traffic accident

A J-pop idol singer caused a minor traffic accident on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Nishikido Ryo (24), a member of popular Johnny's Jimusho idol group NEWS, was driving his car on the highway through the center of the city when he hit another car at the tail end of a traffic jam at the Roppongi on-ramp. That car then also hit the one in front, causing minor damage. A 60-year-old woman in the middle car suffered injuries to her neck and is expected to be in the hospital for a week. Nishikido later visited her to offer his apologies. A Johnny's spokesperson said that the singer was alone in his car on his day off, and he says he was not paying attention to the road ahead at the time of the accident. The talent agency said Nishikido had been sternly reprimanded and had volunteered to give up driving for the foreseeable future, but they added it was unlikely the incident would have any impact on his showbiz career. Police are expected to file papers with the prosecutor's office.