Copyright japantimes
SAPPORO - A court decided Wednesday to hold on Nov. 12 the first hearing of the criminal trial for tour boat operator president Seiichi Katsurada, 62, who has been charged with professional negligence resulting in deaths over the fatal 2022 boat sinking in Hokkaido.A total of 12 hearings will take place before sentencing on June 17, 2026. The schedule was decided in Wednesday's pretrial proceedings at the Kushiro District Court in Hokkaido. The court plans to hold defendant questioning in March and closing arguments in April.The Kazu I tour boat operated by the company, Shiretoko Yuransen, sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido on April 23, 2022, killing 20 of its 26 passengers and crew members and leaving the other six missing.
