Japan Coast Guard Raids Operating Office Of Sunken Tour Boat In Hokkaido
Japan's Coast Guard in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido has raided the office of the operator of a sunken tour boat and the homes of the company's president and the vessel's skipper.
Investigators searched the firm's office in Shari Town on Monday.
On April 23, the 19-ton "KAZU I" sank off the coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The boat was carrying 26 people.
Fourteen of them have been found dead. The other 12 remain missing.
The Coast Guard says the firm's president and the boat's skipper knew conditions could get stormy in the afternoon on the day of the accident.
But the Coast Guard says they decided to go ahead with the tour anyway, judging that the waves and winds around the port were not above the threshold set by the firm for cancelling cruises.
The two officials are also said to have agreed the boat would turn back if conditions got rough.
Investigators plan to examine whether the firm made appropriate decisions given the situation. They say they will also take a close look at the firm's safety management system.
It has been revealed that the firm registered a cell phone as mandatory communications equipment despite the fact that the carrier network did not fully cover the cruise's route.