Tokyo, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport safety management system, created to prevent accidents caused by human error, mainly in public transportation, marks its 20th anniversary this year. The system requires transport operators to build and continuously improve their own safety management arrangements. While it has been revised and strengthened over the years, experts say operators must sustain their efforts, with one warning that “cultivating a culture of safety cannot be achieved overnight.” Human error typically stems from mistakes or misperceptions, but it can also occur even when a risk is recognized. Many such cases involve rule violations, attributed to poor understanding of the rules or to the absence of penalties for breaking them. The workplace environment and corporate culture have also been identified as contributing factors. The system was prompted chiefly by the April 2005 derailment and crash on West Japan Railway Co.’s Fukuchiyama Line in Hyogo Prefecture, which killed 106 passengers and the train driver. The immediate cause was that the train, running behind schedule, entered a curve at a speed far above the limit. Investigators also faulted the operator’s packed timetable and its practice of harshly disciplining crew members. A number of other accidents and safety lapses occurred at other operators that same year, including a Japan Airlines plane’s violation of air traffic control instructions. A transport ministry panel tasked with devising countermeasures attributed the problems not only to careless mistakes and misperceptions but also to “intentional unsafe behavior,” seen in cases such as when workers are pressed to save time. The panel emphasized the need to instill a “safety first” mindset throughout organizations, noting that “the top leader’s clear involvement in ensuring safety is indispensable.” In response, the ministry introduced the transport safety management system in October 2006 to evaluate how operators implement the safety measures they have established, with the aim of ensuring continuous improvement. Probing Corporate Culture Assessments under the system primarily cover aviation, railway and shipping operators. Ahead of each review, transport ministry officials analyze the corporate culture surrounding safety management, drawing on accident figures, minutes of internal meetings and other records. Officials then interview and advise the operator’s president and other executives on issues including workplace safety education and whether employees properly report near-miss incidents that could have led to accidents. The ministry had conducted about 12,900 assessments through fiscal 2025. A ministry official said the program’s strength lies in encouraging operators’ voluntary efforts. “Unlike audits conducted after an accident, the initiative can induce forward-looking, long-term improvement,” the official said. Operators have given positive feedback, according to the official. They reported that the reviews helped create “an atmosphere in which it is easy for workers to speak up about mistakes and other issues,” and that the number of employees quitting has since fallen. Major airlines and railway companies are assessed once every three to four years. After the 2022 sinking of a sightseeing boat off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, which left 26 people dead or missing, the ministry expanded its focus to include small passenger boat operators. It plans to complete reviews of all such operators by fiscal 2027. AI Enlisted for Error Analysis In the 1985 JAL jumbo jet crash, the world’s deadliest accident involving a single aircraft, a faulty repair of the aircraft’s rear pressure bulkhead by U.S. manufacturer Boeing Co. was identified as the cause of the disaster, which killed 520 people. The inspection systems of JAL and the then transport ministry, which failed to detect the flaw, were also called into question. Partly in response to a series of operational irregularities in later years, JAL has kept up companywide efforts to raise safety awareness. New employees and managers view victims’ belongings and salvaged pieces of the wreckage, and climb to the mountain crash site to pay their respects, so that the lessons of the tragedy are never forgotten. “People’s awareness fades with the passing of time. There is no end to our (safety) efforts,” a JAL official said. The carrier is considering the introduction of a system that would use artificial intelligence to analyze a database of reports on mistakes and other incidents, the official said. Akira Hone, a former airline pilot who is now a senior official at the Japan Institute of Human Factors, said it is “impossible to reduce human error to zero,” while emphasizing that pinning the blame on individuals does little to prevent a recurrence. To ensure safety, “management sets out policies and employees make them work,” he said. “They need to keep playing their roles steadily and persistently.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
