A third-party inquiry conducted by a group of Japanese lawyers has found that a school in Kyoto Prefecture was responsible for a boating accident that left two people dead earlier this year.
The investigative panel formed by educational organisation Doshisha has been tasked to determine whether Doshisha International Senior High School's safety management system had any deficiencies, local newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported on Friday, July 31.
The panel found that the school's safety risk management manuals were lacking and that no basic rules for ensuring safety were in place. This then led to the school's boating program being carried out despite having inadequate safety measures.
The panel concluded that these deficiencies were the primary cause of the accident that occurred off Nago in Okinawa Prefecture on March 16, 2026.
On the said date, two sightseeing boats carrying 21 passengers and crew capsized within minutes of each other approximately 1.5 kilometres off Nago's Henoko district.
All passengers and crew from the two boats were later pulled out of the water. Tragically, however, a 71-year-old boat captain and 17-year-old female student Tomoka Takeishi from Doshisha International Senior High School were later pronounced deceased.
Fourteen other individuals suffered varying degrees of injury.
Takeishi's parents have meanwhile filed a criminal complaint against officials of the school and tour operator Tobu Top Tours, which had also accepted responsibility for the incident.
The complaint, which was filed with the Japan Coast Guard's Nakagusuku office in Okinawa, named 11 individuals including the school's principal and accused them of negligence resulting in death and injury.
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