THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 30, 2022 at 16:39 JST
Boats of all sizes leave Utoro Port in Shari, Hokkaido, early April 30 to assist in search efforts for missing passengers of the Kazu I pleasure boat that sank in stormy weather on April 23. (Takuya Tanabe)
The transport ministry is eyeing stricter rules and stiffer penalties for companies operating sightseeing boats and floating restaurants in the aftermath of a disaster in far northern Japan that is feared to have claimed 26 lives.
The changes will reflect tightened safety regulations and provisions to swiftly revoke business licenses following an accident in 2016 that involved a chartered bus and left 15 people dead.
Ministry officials said 560 companies in Japan operated pleasure boats and floating restaurants as of March 2021. Although companies are required to obtain transport ministry approval before going into business, officials admitted that the rules for weeding out those that do not maintain high safety standards may have been too lax.
Training sessions to ensure that boat captains and crew members have adequate skills to operate boats are among the beefed up safety steps being contemplated, according to government sources.
Another provision would assess whether operators are fully aware of the paramount need for safety through, for example, ensuring that safety equipment is maintained in tiptop condition at all times.
Stricter disciplinary measures are also being considered to allow the ministry to quickly shut down companies that fail to comply.
Transport ministry officials explained that stricter oversight was needed because pleasure boat operators were not subject to more stringent conditions covering chartered bus companies. They noted that subsequent checks on safety issues were left mainly to local Japan Coast Guard offices.
After the 2016 accident, 85 safety measures were added for chartered bus companies, including a requirement to install dashcams. The companies are also required to renew their licenses periodically.
(Takashi Togo and Senior Staff Writer Yoshitaka Ito contributed to this article.)
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