Lawyers filed an appeal Monday with the Osaka High Court, seeking to reverse a verdict that found three former presidents of West Japan Railway Co. not guilty of professional negligence in connection with the 2005 Amagasaki derailment that claimed 107 lives.
The three court-appointed lawyers, who served as prosecutors under a special criminal trial system, said they decided to appeal the Sept. 27 decision by the Kobe District Court after discussing the matter with survivors and next of kin of the fatalities.
Shin Kawase, one of the lawyers, has criticized the district court's decision for giving more consideration to JR West's situation than the lives of people caught up in the April 25, 2005, derailment.