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Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008

Police: JR West chief at fault over deadly Hyogo train crash
KOBE (Kyodo) West Japan Railway Co. President Masao Yamazaki should be held criminally negligent in connection with the deadly 2005 derailment in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, of a commuter train, police will tell prosecutors, according to investigative sources Wednesday.

Police are expected to send prosecutors reports on 10 JR West officials, including Yamazaki, 65, in September at the earliest. The reports are expected to recommend that several of the officials face similar charges.

Suggesting someone "deserves to be held criminally responsible" is the second-strongest opinion police can attach to such papers to prosecutors, following the demand for "stern punishment."

The Kobe District Public Prosecutor's Office will determine whether it can build a criminal case against the officials after receiving the papers from police.

They have been questioning Yamazaki since late July on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death. They sought to learn the level of operational safety he was enforcing at the time the seven-car rapid-service train jumped the tracks on a curve on the JR West Fukuchiyama Line and plowed into a high-rise, killing 106 passengers and the driver and injuring more than 500.

The transport ministry's investigation commission has concluded the driver, Ryujiro Takami, 23, was distracted by a radio communication about his earlier overshoot at a station and applied the brakes too late. No advanced Automatic Train Stop System was in place at the April 25, 2005, accident site.