Overview
- The initial hearing began at Kushiro District Court on November 12, where former Shiretoko Yūran-sen president Seiichi Katsurada, 62, entered a not-guilty plea through his defense.
- Prosecutors are focusing on alleged supervisory failures, including that Katsurada was not at the office during the voyage and lost contact with the vessel, as they argue professional negligence resulting in death.
- The KAZU I sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula on April 23, 2022, with 20 people confirmed dead and six still missing, according to reports cited in the coverage.
- An official Transport Safety Board report found a bow-deck hatch that could not be secured opened in worsening weather, seawater flooded and stopped the engine, and safety management and communications were inadequate with an inexperienced captain.
- Legal experts note it is unusual in Japan to criminally charge a non-operating company owner after a maritime disaster, and the proceedings are being closely watched by victims' families and regulators.