A subsidiary of Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) concealed water leakage into a high-speed ferry connecting Japan and South Korea.

Under the direction and approval of its president, the ferry operator falsified records and tampered with the alarm sensor.

In light of the major safety concerns raised by the fatal sightseeing boat accident off the coast of Shiretoko, Hokkaido, two years ago, this is an unforgivable illegal act related to ship safety.

JR Kyushu bears significant responsibility for failing to stop the gross misconduct of its subsidiary.

The issue occurred with the Queen Beetle, a jet ferry, a type of high-speed passenger ferry that uses water jets for propulsion instead of traditional propellers, which can carry up to 502 passengers.

It is operated by JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Inc. between Hakata, Fukuoka, and Busan, South Korea.

In February, two to three liters of water leaked into the vessel’s hull, but the company neither reported the incident nor repaired the ship, continuing operations until it decided to suspend the service in May, saying it had confirmed water leakage.

The cover-up was uncovered in August by a surprise audit by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

According to JR Kyushu, the cover-up was directed by the subsidiary's president and involved the entire company.

The company falsely recorded “no abnormalities” in the logbook or the maintenance log, while the actual water leakage was secretly documented in a newly created “control ledger.”

The firm also illegally raised the water leakage alarm sensor height from 44 centimeters to 1 meter.

What makes this situation even more serious is that, just after the water leakage in February of last year, the high-speed ferry company received an improvement order from the transport ministry and pledged an “unwavering” commitment to ensuring safety.

During last year's water ingress, the alarm system was triggered during operations and cracks were discovered in the vessel's hull the next day.

However, JR Kyushu Jet Ferry continued operations without undergoing the temporary inspection required by law in such cases, prompting the ministry to demand a report on how it would take thorough preventive measures.

In the report, the ferry company stated that it would take steps to implement a fundamental shift in its leadership mindset and foster a strong safety culture among all employees. Was this vow nothing more than empty words?

JR Kyushu began its Japan-Korea high-speed ferry service in 1991 as one of the pillars of its business diversification. The service was transferred to a subsidiary and had been operated with three to four smaller vessels.

However, while the unit was implementing plans to change one of its vessels to the Queen Beetle, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The company has been trying to recover from the pandemic-related damage with the Queen Beetle alone but has been struggling to stay above water in the face of stiff competition from low-cost airlines.

Could this difficult business situation have contributed to the illegal actions?

While JR Kyushu has dismissed the president of the ferry subsidiary, the railway operator cannot escape its own responsibility for the safety lapses. The company must acknowledge the gravity of the situation across the entire group, and a thorough investigation by an independent committee is essential.

At a news conference at the end of August following a Cabinet meeting, transport minister Tetsuo Saito harshly criticized the company for its “lack of awareness regarding safety" and indicated that penalties would be imposed.

But the ministry has no means to order the company to take specific safety actions because the ferry service is under a notification system in which permission from the supervising authority is not required when conducting business.

However, there exists an obligation to provide prior notice.

While a system to forcefully suspend operations is expected to be introduced in the future, the ministry has no choice but to entrust the company with taking proper action for the time being.

JR Kyushu must recognize that its overall commitment to safety as a transportation provider has been called into question.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 12