The Sendai District Court on Sept. 17 ordered a kindergarten in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, to pay ¥177 million in compensation for the deaths of four children in a school bus that was engulfed by the March 11, 2011, tsunami.
The private kindergarten was located on a hill 23 meters above sea level. But after the massive quake hit, the bus left the kindergarten and headed for the coast. After seven children got off the bus, it was swamped by the tsunami and five children and a kindergarten employee remaining in it died.
The ruling is the first of its kind and similar lawsuits related to the 3/11 tsunami have already been filed. The ruling issues a strong message that principals of kindergartens and schools bear a heavy responsibility to make proper judgments in the event of a disaster and protect the lives of children. It will be imperative for them to immediately collect disaster-related information and use their imagination with regard to imminent dangers.