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Relatives mark 3rd anniversary of fatal bus crash in Gunma

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Relatives of some of the seven people killed in a bus accident in 2012 offered prayers at the site on Wednesday morning.

Seven people were killed and 38 others injured when an overnight bus bound for Tokyo Disneyland smashed against a roadside wall on the Kanetsu Expressway in Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, at 4:40 a.m. on April 29, 2012.

The bus was carrying 45 passengers.

Relatives placed flowers at the site. The father of one of the victims told reporters that he still can't believe his daughter is dead and that the pain never goes away, Fuji TV reporte.

Last year, the Maebashi District Court in Gunma Prefecture sentenced the bus driver, Kazan Kono, to 9 1/2 years in prison and fined him 2 million yen, Fuji TV reported.

Kono, 45, admitted to dozing off behind the wheel, and was charged him with negligent driving resulting in death. He had testified that he was overworked, and that he shouldn't have been driving that night because he suffers from sleep apnea. There was no relief driver on the bus at the time of the accident, which took place at 4:40 a.m. However, the bus operator Rikuentai had argued that a relief driver is only necessary if the journey is over 670 kilometers. The stated distance of the trip to Tokyo Disneyland was 540 kilometers.

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2 Comments
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I think its responsibility is on the company, not him. Why isn't the company punished?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This incident demonstrates the Japanese group mentality in black and white. Expected to chip in for the team whenever the boss asks, but screw up and you are on your own.

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