January 22, 2016
Dietmembers of the Japanese Communist Party on January 21 met with officials of the Labor and Transport ministries in the Diet building to conduct a hearing in the wake of last week’s bus crash which claimed the lives of 15 people.
In the meeting, Labor Ministry officials told the JCP parliamentarians about the results of inspections that the ministry conducted on 339 offices of bus operating companies following a high-profile fatal bus crash in April 2012. According to the ministry, it found labor standards law violations in 324 or 95.6% of the inspected offices and it also found breaches of ministry’s guidelines on drivers’ working conditions in 260 or 76.7% of the offices.
JCP member of the House of Representatives Kokuta Keiji asked the Labor Ministry official if it conducted follow-up checks on companies after telling them to correct violations and the official merely said the ministry will keep instructing them.
Motomura Nobuko, also a member of the House of Representatives, requested the ministry to disclose whether the ministry inspected the bus operator that is responsible for last week’s fatal accident, but her request was rejected as it is “information about an individual case”.
In the meeting with the Transport Ministry, Motomura pointed out that although the ministry in February 2015 detected problems with the company in question in its inspection, it gave no administrative punishments until this month. She criticized the ministry for being late in taking action. Refuting Motomura’s criticism, a transport ministry official said that it needed time to consider the company’s explanations.
JCP members of the House of Representatives Shimizu Tadashi and Hatano Kimie and JCP member of the House of Councilors Tatsumi Kotaro also took part in the meeting.
Past related articles:
> Drivers’ unions urge gov’t to tighten regulations on tour buses [May 19, 2012]
> Bus tour business puts profits first over safety [April 30 and May 1, 2012]
In the meeting, Labor Ministry officials told the JCP parliamentarians about the results of inspections that the ministry conducted on 339 offices of bus operating companies following a high-profile fatal bus crash in April 2012. According to the ministry, it found labor standards law violations in 324 or 95.6% of the inspected offices and it also found breaches of ministry’s guidelines on drivers’ working conditions in 260 or 76.7% of the offices.
JCP member of the House of Representatives Kokuta Keiji asked the Labor Ministry official if it conducted follow-up checks on companies after telling them to correct violations and the official merely said the ministry will keep instructing them.
Motomura Nobuko, also a member of the House of Representatives, requested the ministry to disclose whether the ministry inspected the bus operator that is responsible for last week’s fatal accident, but her request was rejected as it is “information about an individual case”.
In the meeting with the Transport Ministry, Motomura pointed out that although the ministry in February 2015 detected problems with the company in question in its inspection, it gave no administrative punishments until this month. She criticized the ministry for being late in taking action. Refuting Motomura’s criticism, a transport ministry official said that it needed time to consider the company’s explanations.
JCP members of the House of Representatives Shimizu Tadashi and Hatano Kimie and JCP member of the House of Councilors Tatsumi Kotaro also took part in the meeting.
Past related articles:
> Drivers’ unions urge gov’t to tighten regulations on tour buses [May 19, 2012]
> Bus tour business puts profits first over safety [April 30 and May 1, 2012]
