West Japan Railway (JR West) held a memorial ceremony on Friday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2005 Fukuchiyama Line derailment, one of Japan’s deadliest train disasters, which claimed 107 lives and injured more than 560 others.
The company renewed its pledge to uphold safety standards and prevent a recurrence.
The ceremony took place at a memorial site constructed at the crash location in the city of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. The tragic accident occurred on the morning of April 25, 2005, when a seven-car rapid service train derailed after entering a curve at excessive speed between Tsukaguchi and Amagasaki stations. The first and second cars collided with a nearby apartment building.
On Friday at 9:18 a.m. — the exact time the derailment occurred — JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa and other company officials observed a moment of silence before joining bereaved families and survivors at the official service. A total of 343 people attended, including those at a satellite venue.
“On that day, we took away lives that were irreplaceable and precious,” Hasegawa said, offering renewed apologies. Acknowledging that many current JR West employees joined after the incident, he emphasized the importance of remembrance, saying, “We are fully aware of the risk of this fading from memory. We are committed to preserving the facts, the sorrow, and the lessons of the accident for future generations.”
Throughout the morning, grieving families laid flowers and offered silent prayers. Kentaro Kosugi, 41, whose parents died in the lead car, reflected on the passage of time. “Twenty years feels both short and long,” he said, visibly moved. “There are 107 kinds of grief for the 107 lives lost. I believe my parents are watching me. I want to live fully — as a way of honoring them.”
Hiroshi Ueda, 70, who lost his son in the second car, shared his ongoing pain.
“I watched a documentary on the crash again this morning and cried. Even after 20 years, my feelings haven’t changed.” Expressing frustration with the company, he added, “JR keeps saying ‘safety first,’ but their actions don’t reflect that. It’s all negative in my view.”
Rei Ogata, 33, who lost her mother in the crash, returned to the site with her baby daughter, born last year.
“Now that I’m a parent myself, I want to thank my mother again,” she said. “I imagined her wanting to hold her granddaughter. I came today to show her her grandchild.”
A train that passed near the site on the day at around 9:18 a.m. slowed down. On board, a train conductor delivered a heartfelt announcement.
“We offer our heartfelt apologies to the bereaved. We will carry the memory of this tragedy and dedicate ourselves fully to safe operations, so our passengers can ride with peace of mind,” the conductor announced.
The derailment was traced to a delayed brake application by the train operator, who was reportedly distracted by having to explain a prior station overrun. Investigators from the former Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission also pointed to JR West’s harsh disciplinary culture — especially its so-called punitive nikkin kyōiku reeducation program — as a contributing factor. The disaster shocked the nation and raised deep concerns over the company’s safety protocols, operational pressure and corporate culture.
At a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also reflected on the tragedy. “We must ensure that such a disaster is never repeated,” he said. “We will continue working to secure railway safety so that people can travel with peace of mind.”
Today, JR West continues to face the challenge of instilling a lasting culture of safety in a workforce now largely composed of employees hired after the accident. “There is no closure to this accident,” Hasegawa told reporters ahead of the anniversary. He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to making safety awareness a central priority.
In 2016, JR West revised its internal policies to exempt accidents caused by human error from punitive measures or negative performance evaluations. The aim was to encourage accurate reporting and reduce the risk of concealment.
Seiji Abe, a transportation policy expert and professor emeritus at Kansai University who once served on JR West’s safety advisory panel, criticized the company’s pre-accident culture as “deeply outdated,” particularly in its tendency to blame individuals for mistakes. However, he acknowledged that significant progress has been made, saying the company’s “approach to safety has fundamentally changed.”
Still, the passage of time brings new challenges.
Approximately 70% of JR West’s 24,000 employees joined after 2005. To preserve institutional memory, the company holds regular training programs that include visits to the crash site and testimonials from victims’ families.
On April 11, about 40 new recruits training to become train operators and staff attended a session at JR West’s training facility in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture. They studied major railway accidents and safety technologies.
Among them was Akane Ando, 18, whose father also works for JR West as a train operator. “My father always told me how important safety is. I want to become a dependable station worker and make sure an accident like this never happens again,” she said.
To reinforce its safety culture, JR West plans to open a new facility in December in Suita to preserve the derailed train cars. The center will serve as a training site for employees. Out of respect for the bereaved, there are currently no plans to open it to the public, though Hasegawa noted that public access remains “an ongoing issue for the future.”
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