One-third of the nation's major amusement parks have not been aware of government standards for safety checks and many lack complete knowledge of the inspection norms under the Japanese Industrial Standards, a survey released Saturday shows.
Kyodo News conducted the survey after a fatal roller coaster accident in Osaka Prefecture earlier this month.
The standards oblige park operators to conduct one or more safety checks every year to find defects in the parts used in their attractions.
A total of 51 major amusement parks with roller coasters in 29 prefectures responded to the survey conducted after the May 6 accident at Expoland in Suita, Osaka, that killed a woman and injured about 20 other people. The park's operator has admitted that it did not conduct a necessary checkup for 15 months.