Photo/Illutration The sunken pleasure boat Kazu I is salvaged off the coast of Shari, Hokkaido, on May 26, 2022. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

More than two years after the deadly sinking of a tour boat off the coast of Hokkaido, the Japan Coast Guard arrested the president of the cruise operator on Sept. 18.

Seiichi Katsurada, 61, is accused of failing to ensure the safety of passengers aboard the vessel Kazu I at his tourism company, Shiretoko Pleasure Boat.

“We have determined that the accident occurred as a result of Katsurada neglecting his duty to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, despite being responsible for that,” said Nozomu Fujita, a senior official from the JCG’s 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.

The accident occurred in rough seas off the western coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula on April 23, 2022, leaving 20 passengers and crew members dead and six missing.

JCG officials did not disclose whether Katsurada admitted to or denied the allegations.

When asked why it took so long to arrest the suspect, officials declined to provide a detailed explanation.

They only stated that they needed time to carefully gather evidence through an investigation and data analysis, and were impacted by the fact that some of the victims remain missing.

On the day of the accident, strong winds with maximum speeds of 54 kph and wave heights exceeding 3 meters were forecast.

These conditions were significantly higher than the 28.8 kph and 1 meter limits for cruise cancellation, which the operator had previously submitted to the transport ministry.

Despite the hazardous conditions, Katsurada instructed the boat’s captain, Noriyuki Toyoda, to proceed with the cruise, with the directive that the ship must return to port if the seas became rough.

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