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2013 September 25 - October 1 [POLITICS]

JCP Dietmembers inspect trouble-laden Hokkaido railway company

Several Dietmembers of the Japanese Communist Party on September 26 visited Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) in Sapporo City in Hokkaido to conduct a hearing and investigation of its frequent accidents and flaws. They also made an inspection of a plant for car maintenance.

Back in Tokyo, Kokuta Keiji (House of Representatives) and Tatsumi Kotaro (House of Councilors) lost no time in requesting that the chairman of the Committee on Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in both Houses call a committee meeting to discuss JR Hokkaido’s problems.

A few years ago, a JR Hokkaido bullet train derailed and caught fire inside a tunnel. This year alone, the train operator has already had six accidents involving fire or smoke. Another derailment occurred at a JR Hokkaido station this month. Later it was found out that 267 track defects had been left unfixed.

The JCP inspection team demanded that the company give first priority to safety by saying, “You should place greatest importance on protecting passengers’ lives on your trains.”

After the inspection, Kami Tomoko told reporters that it is necessary to set safety standards taking into consideration Hokkaido’s cold weather and its vastness. “The government should also actively participate in setting the safety standards,” she added.

The team consisted of Kami Tomoko (UH), Daimon Mikishi (UH), Tatsumi Kotaro (UH), Kokuta Keiji (LH), and Mashita Noriko (JCP member of the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly).