The Ground Self-Defense Force announced Wednesday that it punished the commanding general of the 6th Division and 11 other officers for the accidental firing of a 155mm howitzer shell out of the practice range and over a hot spring resort in Fukushima Prefecture on Sept. 7.
The force issued warnings to Lt. Gen. Joji Higuchi, the top official of the 6th Division, and Col. Shoji Uto, chief of the 6th Artillery Regiment, for failing to properly supervise. It also imposed disciplinary measures on members of the regiment involved in the misfiring.
The accident was caused by the use of an incorrect amount of gunpowder and an insufficient safety check, according to GSDF officials. A regular procedure for confirming the amount of gunpowder has been customarily neglected at the battalion involved with the misfiring, which hurt no one but scared villagers and tourists, they said.
After the incident, the GSDF was also criticized for failing to quickly report the accident to relevant organizations and to the public. It was more than nine hours before the division commander held a midnight news conference.
The GSDF will draw up clear standards for reporting accidents to facilitate their swift public announcement in the future, they said.