TOKYO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and two others injured in a three-vehicle crash on Wednesday in Tokyo.

The accident occurred on a highway in Tokyo, and a 78-year-old woman aboard one of the vehicles was pronounced dead after being sent to hospital, and two others were injured.

Driver of the vehicle that caused the crash said he was busy looking at signs for traffic jam and failed to notice the car before him.

Local police have been looking into the details of the accident.

Earlier in the day, two people were injured in a nine-vehicle crash on a highway in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan.

The crash occurred during a traffic jam as roads and highways in Japan were crowded with people rushing back after spending their New Year holidays at recreational sites, their hometowns or elsewhere, according to local reports.