TOKYO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Transport Ministry on Friday instructed train operator West Japan Railway Co. to investigate the reasons why a driver failed to follow protocol after a Shinkansen bullet train hit and killed a man on Thursday.
"I have ordered JR West to study why the driver did not make a report and whether that was an appropriate decision or not," Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii was quoted as saying at a press briefing on the matter.
At around 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, a "Nozomi 176" bullet train bound for Tokyo hit a man in his 50s, leaving a large dent in the train's nose.
The driver, who started his journey in Hakata, heard an abnormal noise when the train fatally struck the man but did not report hearing the noise, JR West said.
Following the incident, a body part was found on the tracks of the Sanyo Shinkansen line in Fukuoka Prefecture and the man was believed to have been struck inside a tunnel in the city of Kitakyushu, about 17 km away from Kokura Station.
None of the 200 passengers or staff aboard the train at the time were injured, but the train's nose cone was cracked and what appeared to be blood could be seen on the nose once the train had stopped.
The Transport Ministry has instructed JR West to launch a probe into whether the driver's reactions were appropriate in this case and to find out why no report on the fatal incident was filed.
Under new procedures following a crack being found in the undercarriage of a Shinkansen in December last year, drivers are required to bring their trains to an immediate halt in situations when safety cannot be determined.
"I sincerely apologize for causing disruption to transportation and inconvenience to over 40,000 customers," said JR West Vice President Yoshihisa Hirano at a press briefing on the matter Friday.