Prosecutors to return hull of sunken Shiretoko tour boat KAZU I to operator's president
In short
The Kushiro District Public Prosecutors Office plans to return the hull of the tour boat KAZU I, which sank off Shiretoko in Hokkaido in 2022, to operator president Seiichi Katsurada (桂田精一) as early as December, according to people connected to the case. The hull, held as evidence, is stored in a warehouse in Abashiri that prosecutors will finish dismantling by the end of November. Katsurada, 63, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the Kushiro District Court and has appealed.
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The Kushiro District Public Prosecutors Office plans to return the hull of the tour boat KAZU I, which sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido in 2022, to Seiichi Katsurada (桂田精一), 63, president of the boat's operating company, as early as December. TBS NEWS DIG, the Sankei Shimbun and Yahoo! News Japan reported the plan citing people connected to the case, and the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun also reported it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Prosecutors have kept the hull as evidence. According to the Sankei Shimbun, it was found on the seabed at a depth of about 120 metres after the accident and raised about a month later; it has not been shown to the public and is stored in a warehouse near Abashiri Port in Abashiri. The Sankei Shimbun and Yahoo! News Japan reported that prosecutors will finish dismantling the warehouse by the end of November, after which the hull will be returned. The Sankei Shimbun said management of the hull will then be left to Katsurada. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Katsurada was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the Kushiro District Court; he has appealed. Yahoo! News Japan reported that the sentence was handed down in June this year, that he appealed the same day, and that the appeal hearing will be held at the Sapporo High Court on December 17. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
A lawyer representing passengers' families said Katsurada's side has not contacted them about how the hull will be disposed of, TBS NEWS DIG reported, adding that some families do not want it preserved because of problems with the storage location and cost. The Sankei Shimbun reported that some families, concerned that the accident will fade from memory, want it to remain in storage. In April this year, four years after the accident, families offered prayers as in previous years, the paper said. [ 1 , 2 ]
Citing the prosecutors, the Sankei Shimbun reported that life jackets, life rings, ropes and other evidence carried on the boat were returned to Katsurada on September 9 because they no longer needed to be kept. [ 2 ]
TBS NEWS DIG and the Sankei Shimbun said the accident left 26 passengers and crew dead or missing. Yahoo! News Japan said it occurred in April 2022 and that 20 people died and six remain missing. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Once returned, management of the hull will be left to Katsurada, and a lawyer for passengers' families said his side has not told them how it will be disposed of. Families are divided: some do not want it preserved because of storage location and cost, while others want it kept so the accident is not forgotten.
Key facts
- The Kushiro District Public Prosecutors Office plans to return the KAZU I hull to operating company president Seiichi Katsurada (桂田精一) as early as December. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The 2022 sinking off Shiretoko left 26 passengers and crew dead or missing. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The hull, held as evidence, is stored in a warehouse in Abashiri. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Prosecutors will finish dismantling the warehouse by the end of November. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Katsurada, 63, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the Kushiro District Court for professional negligence resulting in death and has appealed. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Life jackets, life rings, ropes and other evidence from the boat were returned to Katsurada on September 9. [ 2 ]
- The appeal hearing is to be held at the Sapporo High Court on December 17, Yahoo! News Japan reported. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- What Katsurada will do with the hull. A lawyer for passengers' families said Katsurada's side has not contacted them about how it will be disposed of.
- Whether the hull should be preserved. Outlets report that some families oppose preserving it over storage location and cost, while others want it kept so the accident is not forgotten.
- Appeal hearing at the Sapporo High Court on December 17. Reported only by Yahoo! News Japan.
- Breakdown of 20 dead and six missing. Only Yahoo! News Japan gives the breakdown; other outlets give a combined 26 dead or missing.
- The hull is being kept as evidence in a warehouse in Abashiri, which prosecutors will finish dismantling by the end of November. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the hull will be returned to Katsurada as early as December. [ 1 ]
- The Sankei Shimbun reports the plan, with details on the hull's storage and the return of other evidence. [ 2 ]
- The Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reports the hull will be returned to the president. [ 3 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan reports the return and the December 17 appeal hearing. [ 4 ]