Japan Freight Railway (JR Freight) on Wednesday halted operations for 7,000 container cars in order to inspect vehicles thought to have been affected by data tampering and other misconduct.
Data for a total of 564 container cars was confirmed to have been tampered with on Tuesday and more affected cars were discovered the following day, resulting in the suspension of all container freight train operations.
The company said that when fitting wheels onto the trains’ axles, pressure of up to 10% above the maximum limit was applied, potentially causing the axles to weaken. In some cases, data was falsified for inspection records.
The misconduct was discovered in an internal investigation following the derailment of a freight train at Shin-Yamaguchi Station on the Sanyo Line in July. Data had been replaced for the lead car of the derailed train. According to the Japan Transport Safety Board, the axle of the lead car was broken, and the detailed cause of the accident is being investigated.
JR Freight plans to inspect trains currently in service at each station to ensure no vehicles affected by misconduct are being used. Operations will resume gradually after verification.
The transport ministry conducted inspections on Wednesday at JR Freight’s facilities in Muroran in Hokkaido, Kawasaki and the city of Hiroshima, but said it cannot comment on the causal link to the derailment “because the Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the matter.”
Authorities initiated a special safety audit and ordered the emergency inspection of all vehicles. Based on the audit results, the ministry will assess whether administrative actions are warranted.
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