Japan asks railway operators to conduct urgent inspections of wheels and axles

On September 13, 2024, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito revealed at a press conference that due to the act of falsifying pressure test data in the assembly process of components such as axles and wheels of freight trains by Japan Freight Railway Company, on September 12, he has asked railway operators across the country to conduct urgent inspections of wheels and axles and submit reports by September 30.

Japan Freight Railway Company announced on September 10 and admitted this violation. It is reported that in cases where the pressure during the assembly process exceeds the set limit by about 10%, employees have problems such as replacing data and writing inspection records containing false data. This improper behavior began about 10 years ago. Currently, the number of locomotives and freight cars with data violations found accounts for 564 out of the company's total of about 8,500 units. The company has decided to suspend the service of these vehicles.

This incident has drawn high attention from all sectors in Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Transport has launched on-site inspections of three railway yards of Japan Freight Railway Company - the Manseki yard in Hokkaido, the Kawasaki yard in Kawasaki, and the Hiroshima yard in Hiroshima in accordance with the Railway Business Law. The Ministry of Transport will also consider whether to impose administrative penalties on the company based on the investigation results. This incident not only affects the operation of Japan Freight Railway Company. The suspension of business by Japan's largest freight train company has also led to at least a one-day delay in parcel delivery services, having a greater impact on the country's logistics. The Japanese government's request for railway operators to conduct urgent inspections is aimed at ensuring the safety of railway transportation and avoiding potential safety hazards from causing serious accidents.