It has been found that Mr. Masao Yamazaki, former president of West Japan Railway Co., asked a member of the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission to revise its report on the April 25, 2005, train accident on the JR West Fukuchiyama Line that killed 107 people and injured over 500.

Mr. Yamazaki asked Mr. Koichi Yamaguchi — who had leaked to him the report's content — to delete or soften a crucial passage in the report. The passage in question said the accident could have been avoided if JR West had installed an automatic train stoppage (ATS) system on the steep curve between Tsukaguchi and Amagasaki stations in Hyogo Prefecture where the accident occurred.

Although the final report retained the passage, Mr. Yamazaki's request was clearly inappropriate and could have destroyed the report's core thrust.

It also has surfaced that the main points of the final report were told to Mr. Yoshiya Suzuki, vice head of JR West's Tokyo headquarters, by Mr. Yasuo Sato, another member of the commission. Mr. Suzuki contacted Mr. Sato at the behest of Mr. Ryuichiro Tsuchiya, vice president of JR West.

The two investigation commission members had previously been senior colleagues of Mr. Yamazaki and Mr. Suzuki at Japan National Railways.

Communication between the four men continued for about a year before the final report was made public in June 2007.

These acts betray the trust of survivors and victims' bereaved family members, who want to know the true causes of the worst accident since the JNR was privatized and divided in 1987.

Mr. Yamazaki was indicted without arrest in July 2009 and then resigned as JR West president. He is charged with having failed to install the ATS system despite being able to foresee the possibility of an accident on the curved section.

Strict rules must prohibit contact between company officials and people responsible for investigating accidents possibly connected to those companies. Also, appropriate punishments should be instituted for violators.