The government hopes to form a team this month made up of next of kin and survivors of the fatal 2005 Amagasaki train derailment together with outside experts to verify the credibility of a leaked report on the accident, transport minister Seiji Maehara said Friday.
The move follows the recent revelation that West Japan Railway Co. officials approached a governmental railway accident investigation panel and obtained a draft report in advance on the cause of the derailment, causing doubts about the report's neutrality and credibility.
Maehara, land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister, said he has instructed the Japan Transport Safety Board to set up the team.