Family members of the victims and survivors of a 2005 train derailment that killed 107 people in Hyogo Prefecture held a memorial ceremony on Tuesday to mark the 18th anniversary of the accident.
West Japan Railway President Kazuaki Hasegawa vowed to build "a safer railway" in the ceremony hosted by the company at the accident site in Amagasaki, where a monument has been erected to remember those who lost their lives.
A moment of silence was observed at around 9:18 a.m., the same time of day that the train crashed into a condominium building. A total of 106 passengers and one driver were killed, while 562 people were injured.
"We caused a serious and irredeemable accident. We pledge to build a safer railway by reflecting on the accident and inscribing it in our hearts," Hasegawa said at the ceremony, which was attended by about 300 people.
On April 25, 2005, the rush-hour commuter train on the JR Fukuchiyama Line derailed and crashed into the condominium building after reaching a curved section of the track while traveling well above the maximum permitted speed.
"It doesn't feel like 18 years have passed, it seems like it happened just yesterday," said Mitsuko Fujisaki, 83, who lost her 40-year-old daughter Michiko Nakamura in the accident.
"Although I have sometimes lost the will to live, I want (JR West) to be a safe company more than anything. Until then, I cannot die," Fujisaki added.
The ceremony was canceled in 2020 and 2021 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and was held for the first time in three years in 2022.
A live broadcast of the event was streamed at a venue in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, for those who found it difficult to visit the site of the accident.
