NEXCO CENTRAL (Central Nippon Expressway Company Limited)




2015 December 22, Miyaike President briefing

Conference Summary

[Moderator]

We have been waiting for you. We have just begun the 109th regular conference. Today, the ruling of the Sasago Tunnel ceiling board fall accident was sentenced.

 

[Miyaike president]

Sasago Tunnel ceiling plate fall accident, a lawsuit has been filed against the Company the next year after the accident by the bereaved of the customer who died in the accident. In this afternoon, a ruling was sentenced in the afternoon of the Yokohama District Court in the afternoon, so I would like to talk about the current thinking as a company.

Regarding this accident, we take the seriousness of the fact that the accident took the precious life of a clean customer, and since the beginning of the trial, the responsibility for the work that managed the Sasago Tunnel We have responded based on the idea that we will compensate you as soon as possible.

Today's judgment, which includes recognizing our company for negligence and ordering compensation for damages, is a matter of course, and we take this judgment very seriously. At this time, we have not yet fully understood the details, so we will consider the contents of the judgment and take action in the future.

This is an accident that should never happen as a company managing a Expressway I apologize to all of you who died here and wish you good luck. We deeply apologize to the bereaved family members and the victims.

 

[Moderator]

Now, we are ready to receive your questions.

 

[Reporter]

How do you currently consider whether to appeal in future actions?

[Miyaike president]

Until now, court proceedings have been based on the conclusions of the national accident investigation and review committee. In this regard, we have tried in anticipation of accidents or methods of inspection based on the fact that there was no situation in which any particular individual was liable for negligence.However, what we decided to do in the future was I would like to consider the response carefully.

 

[Reporter]

I think one of the issues in the trial was whether the accident was foreseen. On the other hand, how about as a company based on this ruling?

[Miyaike president]

We have not yet looked at the details of the ruling, so we would like to examine the details carefully and consider how to respond.

 

[Reporter]

What do you think about alimony?

[Miyaike president]

We believe this is the result of the court's decision based on judicial practices. There are no special comments.

 

[Reporter]

I think there is a time limit for appeal, but is it possible that the decision will be made quickly?

[Miyaike president]

No comments at this time.

 

[Reporter]

Tell us about the lessons learned from the accident at Sasago Tunnel.

[Miyaike president]

This accident is a very disappointing accident. Since the accident, we have been working on a 3-Year Plan for Improving Safety to raise the company and make it a Expressway that everyone can run with peace of mind. Since this year is the final year, we plan to complete the target measures. However, the work piece carries an invisible potential risk. In order to provide everyone with a Expressway that can ensure even higher levels of safety in the future, including the above, if the 3-Year Plan for Improving Safety is not over, the efforts will not end, but will go one step further. I want to move forward. Among them, the large-scale renewal and large-scale repair business has started this year, and we will continue to work on them.

 

[Reporter]

Are there any plans to visit the bereaved or related people again after this ruling?

[Miyaike president]

We have been present to the bereaved families for explanations of our security efforts and at the memorial service on December 2. I would like to work on such things sincerely in the future.

 

[Reporter]

There was a word to take it heavily, but how would you take it heavily?

[Miyaike president]

It was a very terrible accident that killed nine people in the accident, and I feel a great deal of responsibility for managing the Expressway. I'm really sorry that we must work to provide a safe Expressway in the future so as not to cause such an accident again. In that sense, we take it seriously.

 

[Reporter]

Doesn't the attitude that there was no negligence as a company at this stage?

[Miyaike president]

We will scrutinize the contents of this ruling and determine our attitude.

 

[Moderator]

It seems that your question has been interrupted, so this is the end of your regular meeting.