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High court finds air traffic controllers guilty over JAL near miss accident

Momii appears in a news conference following the high court ruling on the near miss accident in Tokyo on Friday. The Tokyo High Court has found two air traffic controllers guilty of professional negligence resulting in injury following a near miss between two Japan Airlines planes in 2001, overturning an earlier district ruling that had declared them not guilty.
The court sentenced Yasuko Momii, 39, to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for three years, and Hideki Hachitani, 33, to one year imprisonment, also suspended for three years.

It was the first ruling in Japan holding air traffic controllers responsible for a near miss accident. Their lawyers plan to file an appeal against the ruling. In handing down the ruling on Friday, Presiding Judge Masaru Suda said, "Aviation accidents can end up as catastrophes, instantly claiming the lives of many passengers. To ensure safety, an extremely high standard of care is demanded from air traffic controllers."

The judge accepted a causal relationship between the mix-up in flight numbers and the near miss, saying that the accident would not have occurred had the defendants provided correct air traffic instructions.
Lawyers for the pair argued that it was impossible to foresee the accident, but the court rejected their claim.