The Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office on Wednesday indicted Mr. Masao Yamazaki, president of West Japan Railway Co., on a charge of professional negligence leading to death and injury in connection with the April 2005 train crash that killed 106 passengers plus the driver and injured 562 passengers. The indictment, a rare move on the part of public prosecutors, concludes a criminal investigation that lasted slightly more than four years.
In past train accidents, public prosecutors were cautious about indicting high-ranking officials of train companies and their targets were mainly drivers and conductors. Their decision this time to indict a train company president indicates a change in attitude on their part. It should compel train company executives to take a more serious approach to train safety.
But one wonders whether Mr. Yamazaki is the sole person criminally responsible for the accident — the worst rail accident since the privatization and division of Japanese National Railways in April 1987. Bereaved family members of accident victims had filed complaints against three former JR West executives and eight former JR West officials in charge of safety measures and train operations, but the public prosecutors did not indict them. It is hoped that the trial will disclose their roles in connection with the accident.