Yoriko Nishio was to make the payment immediately after her sentencing in Christchurch District Court today on a charge of careless driving causing death.
Nishio, 40, is a public servant whose address is given as Akusa, Hyogo, Japan. She is due to fly back to Japan on Saturday.
Judge Noel Walsh ordered her to pay the money as emotional harm reparations to the family of Kenzo Hasegawa, who has three adult children.
Hasegawa's wife has already returned to Japan, when his body was flown there after the January 2 crash.
Nishio pleaded guilty yesterday and was remanded for sentencing today so that an emotional harm reparation report could be prepared. Defence counsel Michael Starling said there were no cultural problems concerning the payment being made.
He said the police accepted that there had been "a low level of carelessness'' in the accident.
Nishio was very concerned about the loss of her good friend, who she had known for five years. They had travelled the world with small groups, doing trekking, and had been trekking in the South Island this summer.
She had been driving at only 50kmh to 60kmh on the Mount Cook Road when she lost control in the shingle and the car rolled once. It rolled over a large rock and while people in the front seat were uninjured, Hasegawa was badly hurt and died soon after on the way to hospital.
Judge Walsh said: ``This was an unforeseen tragedy where you lost control of the vehicle exiting a minor bend, over-corrected and went off the road, with the vehicle rolling once before it came to a stop.''
Apart from the $10,000 emotional harm reparation payment, Nishio was disqualified from driving for a year.
Outside the court, she said through her lawyer that she was very distressed about the accident and the loss of her friend. She would maintain contact with Hasegawa's wife and family.
