Despite irregularities found last year in subway trains operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, officials kept the trains in service and "saw no need" to report the irregularities to the Transport Ministry, officials admitted Tuesday.
Passengers reported abnormal shaking in a subway car and officials discovered long gashes left on the tracks of Tokyo's No. 12 subway line during the evening rush hour in October 1998. Seven months later -- on the same line -- train operators discovered that a connecting platform between cars was askew at Shinjuku Station.
In both cases, officials decided to continue operations between Shinjuku and Hikarigaoka Stations with passengers aboard "due to 'scheduling considerations,' " before taking the train in for maintenance checks.