TOKYO, June 17 — The head of a Japanese sightseeing boat company was sentenced to five years in jail on Wednesday over the 2022 sinking of a vessel that killed at least 20 people, the local court said.

An investigation faulted a deck hatch and improper maintenance aboard the Kazu I, which was carrying 24 tourists and two crew when it sank off the northern island of Hokkaido.

Twenty bodies were recovered and six people are still listed listed as missing after the April 23, 2022 incident off the Shiretoko Peninsula famous for its wildlife and scenery.

On Wednesday, the Kushiro District Court “handed down five years in jail” to Seiichi Katsurada, president of the Kazu I’s operating company, a court spokesman told AFP.

During the trial, Katsurada reportedly denied criminal responsibility. His lawyer has appealed the verdict, Jiji Press reported.

Katsurada was arrested in 2024 on charges including professional negligence resulting in death, a coastguard official told reporters.

He was released on bail in October 2024 and will remain out of custody pending the outcome of his appeal.

A report by a government transport committee concluded in 2023 that the Kazu I set sail without a deck hatch properly fastened, causing water to seep in.

The report also cited poor maintenance and oversight of the worn-out hatch, adding that the operator’s lack of personnel with “sufficient expertise and experience in safe cruising” contributed to the disaster.

Authorities said the absence of any survivors made for an “extremely difficult, painstaking” investigation that took more than two years to complete.

Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters on Wednesday after the ruling that the government “is committed to continue efforts to ensure the safety of passenger ships... to prevent such tragic accident from ever happening again.”

The boat operator president issued a statement saying the company “will continue to offer our apologies and provide compensation,” according to public broadcaster NHK. — AFP