I noted a rather shocking contrast in the April 26 edition of The Japan Times. On page one was an article about a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the train crash in Amagasaki ("Train-crash dead mourned, except driver"), and on page nine there was an article on memorials at Virginia Tech ("Virginia remembers 33 victims, not 32"). What shocked me is that the driver's name was omitted from the services in Amagasaki, when at Virginia Tech, even the man who gunned down 32 people was remembered with pity.
It seems cruel that the West Japan Railway Co. would ignore the family and friends of the young driver, who died just like the other 107 victims that day. Why is it that they would forget the driver? One would think that they are trying to sweep their own employee and responsibility under the rug.