JR West driver took photos of 2 women passengers while operating train at 120 kph

Tuesday 25th August, 10:44 AM JST

KANAZAWA —

A West Japan Railway Co (JR West) driver secretly took photos of two female passengers with his mobile phone camera through the rear window of the driver’s cabin while he was operating the train at 120 kilometers per hour, JR admitted Monday.

The incident first came to light last Saturday at a meeting for the victims and families affected by the fatal 2005 Amagasaki rail crash. According to JR West, the 28-year-old driver from the JR West Kanazawa branch was operating a train on the Kosei line, and took photos of the women between Makino and Nagahara stations on the morning of Aug 21.

At the time, the train was traveling at 120 kilometers per hour, and the driver took his eyes off the controls and tracks for about 7 or 8 seconds while taking the photos.

The driver was quoted as saying: “When I went to shut the curtain behind my seat, these two attractive women caught my eye, so I took their photo.” The women noticed the camera flash and complained to the train conductor at Nagahara station.

The driver told officials this is the first time he has ever done such a thing, and that the photos have already been deleted.

JR West said it is currently launching an investigation into the incident, and promised to treat the act very seriously when all the details are revealed.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 47 Total Comments Show All

Farmboy at 06:40 PM JST - 25th August

After this, there will be a notation in the handbook to slow the train to 70kph when taking pictures.
PleasureGelf at 06:56 PM JST - 25th August

What would he have done if a cat ran out onto the tracks?

Exactly, he wouldn't have time to swerve, or as the last resort, make the train jump over the poor kitty.

If he had really put anyone's life at risk he should lose his job quicker than you can say 'click'. But while he's paid to stare ahead and not ogle attractive passengers I bet there are long stretches which don't demand his full undivided attention.
viking68 at 07:52 PM JST - 25th August

Yea, they need a silly yellow poster on the train stations saying "do it at home" or something like that.

Really, this does remind me of the fool texting kids on the train in California. He missed a light and killed a lot of people. Train drivers should not be allowed to have a cell phone, period. They should have a business line associated with the train line.

I can only imagine all the trouble a cell phone can cause, web-surfing, texting, phone-sex.... Ban them for drivers.
jojo_in_japan at 09:03 PM JST - 25th August

Why the heck was he using a flash? .... IDIOT.
Cicada at 09:23 PM JST - 25th August

JR West said it is currently launching an investigation into the incident, and promised to treat the act very seriously when all the details are revealed.

They will make the driver clean toilets for a week.

Too bad the driver deleted the photos, though, because they would be a big hit.
KaptainKichigai at 09:42 PM JST - 25th August

Who cares? so he took a phot of some pretty girls. Maybe he is an artist in his spare time and the muses were upon him. Perhaps a fine sketch or painting would have come from his photos. Dont be so quick to jump to the perverse.
Cicada at 09:49 PM JST - 25th August

No one should be taking pictures of others without permission, let alone an idiot that is supposed to be driving a speeding train. Highly unlikely that this is the first time he did it. More likely it is the first time the women got mad enough to report him.

However, I'm sure he will be a better train driver after his week of toilet cleaning has passed.
Badge213 at 10:50 PM JST - 25th August

ust a year ago, 33 people died in L.A. when that driver was texting...

Now comparing american trains with Japanese trains is apples and oranges. The train in LA doesn't run on ATC/ATS systems, it was all manual control there.
MapleG at 11:32 PM JST - 25th August

Seems like very effective multi-tasking to me :)
jigjapan at 12:16 AM JST - 26th August

no problem for that...besides, lucky for the girls since they were noticed...
Icewind007 at 03:00 AM JST - 26th August

I think the issue was more about the women being bothered than there being danger for the train. I mean, a conductor can only do so much if there is a problem, it takes a good while to stop the train and if someone gets in the way, the only thing he can do is report how much splat the person made on the train... it's not like he was driving a truck.

Why the heck was he using a flash? .... IDIOT.

That flashed through my mind too...

Exactly, he wouldn't have time to swerve, or as the last resort, make the train jump over the poor kitty.

Your awesome sarcasm reflects my point 8)
KitsuneYoukai at 04:03 AM JST - 26th August

Icewind007...

There may not be a gurantee but if it was something he could have seen coming he may have other options to have reduced the damage. So, yes! Texting or taking photos; anything that takes their eyes from where they should be is a liability that frankly, shouldn't be allowed. I doubt the violator wants to look into the faces of victims family. If they do their job on safety's side and a tragedy happens at least they are conscious free.
sharky1 at 06:32 AM JST - 26th August
1. It is not legal to take a person's photo without their permission...unless you are the government with video cams up all over the place.
2. What did he plan to do with those pictures???
3. His position is for safety, and he obviously wasn't doing his job if he was doing a photo shoot of J Birds.
auntplum at 06:38 PM JST - 26th August

Oh goody! He deleted the photos!
For those that think it's 'no big thing' - could this be yet another 'only in Japan' moment..? (When gaijin trivialise offences committed by Japanese which we would crucify someone for back home). Shameful.
Cicada at 10:19 PM JST - 26th August

Auntplum, I agree.

Can a clerk or salesman in a store freely take pictures of customers he thinks is cute? Of course not, even when safety is not an issue.

JR has rules that outlaw what the driver did. The driver knows those rules. He should be fired, end of story.

But most likely he will be "punished" by being made to clean toilets for a while. Then the pervert will be back driving trains.

Interesting they do not even disclose the driver's name. Sure, he is an immature idiot, but is he a minor? Why are they protecting him? Who is his father? Those are the questions...