Hokkaido Boat Operator Probe Ongoing 2 Yrs after Fatal Sinking

   Sapporo, April 23 (Jiji Press)--Investigations into the operator of the Kazu I sightseeing tour boat remain ongoing as Tuesday marked two years since the fatal sinking of the vessel off the Shiretoko Peninsula in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido.
   The Japan Coast Guard is investigating Seiichi Katsurada, president of the operator, Shiretoko Yuransen, on charges including professional negligence resulting in death. But prosecution of the 60-year-old is not yet in sight.
   The accident occurred on the afternoon of April 23, 2022, after the Kazu I left Utoro Port in the town of Shari on the peninsula the same day. Twenty people, including passengers and crew, have been confirmed dead, while six passengers are still missing. The Kazu I was salvaged in May 2022 after being found on the seabed off the peninsula.
   In a report released last September, the Japan Transport Safety Board, an affiliate of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, said that seawater that entered the hatch on the bow deck led to the sinking. The board also said Shiretoko Yuransen did not have a proper safety management system, pointing out that the company lacked necessary personnel for safe navigation and that its maintenance work for the vessel and communications equipment was insufficient.
   Following the incident, the coast guard raided the company's office and other places, and questioned Katsurada on a voluntary basis. But the bar for prosecution is high as the captain of the ship, who was believed to know most about the situation at the time, died in the accident.

(2024/04/23-16:59)

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