Hokkaido Boat Operator Gets 5 Yrs over Fatal 2022 Sinking

Kushiro, Hokkaido, June 17 (Jiji Press)–A district court in Hokkaido sentenced the president of a local sightseeing boat operator to five years in prison on Wednesday over a deadly boat sinking in the northernmost Japan prefecture in 2022. Kushiro District Court found Seiichi Katsurada, 62, guilty of professional negligence resulting in death. The five-year sentence was in line with the prosecution’s demand. The defense, claiming that the Shiretoko Yuransen president is not guilty, immediately appealed against the ruling to an upper court. The biggest focus in the trial was whether Katsurada, who was not involved in the navigation of the Kazu I boat, had been able to foresee the accident, which occurred off the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido on the afternoon of April 23, 2022. Of the boat’s 26 passengers and crew members, 20 were confirmed dead and the other six went missing. Handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Takeo Mizukoshi rejected the defense’s claim, concluding that the accident was easily foreseeable. The Kazu I sank as the hatch on the deck of its bow did not close due to a flaw and seawater made its way into the boat through the hatch after the vessel was shaken amid bad weather, the ruling said. At the same time, the ruling acknowledged that the boat was operated although strong winds and high waves were predictable and that this was the direct cause of the accident. The judge stated that the defendant could easily anticipate the danger to the safety of passengers as strong winds and high waves exceeding the standards set for boat operations were forecast on the afternoon of the day of the accident and other tourist boat operators told the captain of the Kazu I to cancel the afternoon operations. In his role as operation manager, the defendant was obliged to instruct the captain to call off Kazu I operations after properly assessing weather information, but he neglected this, the judge added. Mizukoshi rejected a claim by Katsurada that the defendant understood that the Kazu I would be operated on a shorter route than usual after discussions with the captain, describing the statement as “unnatural, irrational and utterly unbelievable.” The judge said that it was easy for Katsurada to instruct the captain to cancel the operations and that the degree of his breach of duty was severe. The judge stressed that the loss of the precious lives of the 26 passengers and crew members, including the six missing people, could not be more serious, concluding that “there is no choice but to impose the maximum penalty allowed under law” on the defendant. According to the ruling, Katsurada caused the Kazu I to sink by neglecting his duty to cancel or suspend the boat operation although he was able to predict a fatal accident due to bad weather. After the ruling, Katsurada’s bail was revoked. The defense sought bail again and the court approved the request, but public prosecutors filed an appeal against the decision. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]