The West Japan Railway Co. conductor arrested Wednesday for allegedly repeatedly removing a fuse from safety equipment on trains has worked for the railway for about 30 years, including 19 years as a conductor.
JR West officials revealed that Hirokazu Fujita, 49, has received four awards from the carrier for being accident-free.
However, he was made to attend a seminar for conductors in May after an announcement he made on a train was criticized by passengers as difficult to understand, officials said.