West Japan Railway Co. was slapped with a lawsuit Thursday filed by 264 employees seeking 264 million yen in damages for the anguish they claim they suffered from a "retraining" program, which included cleanup details, for those who erred on duty.
The unionists said the program was one of the factors behind the fatal crash of a JR West train a year ago.
The plaintiffs, including train drivers and conductors in Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Fukuoka prefectures, filed the suit with the Osaka District Court, demanding 1 million yen each.
The plaintiffs, members of the West Japan Railway Workers Union, said they received "day-shift education" between 1996 and 2005, with the longest period being five months.