OSAKA (Kyodo) A railway expert said Friday that West Japan Railway Co. prepared a draft manuscript for his use when he and three others were asked by the carrier to offer their opinions at a February 2007 public hearing looking into the cause of the 2005 fatal train clash in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.
Michio Itaba, 88, a former official of the now-privatized Japanese National Railways, said JR West prepared all the necessary documents for him to apply to take the witness stand.
But differences in their opinions were evident in the prepared manuscript, especially regarding the description of the much-criticized "daily educational program" — a series of humiliating punishments for railway workers who made operational mistakes.