Reiwa 6 (Wa) No. 242 Professional Negligence Resulting in Injury Case

In 2025, a workplace accident in Japan led to the indictment of a supervisor for professional negligence resulting in injury. During a routine operation at a construction site, a worker suffered serious bodily harm after falling from an improperly secured scaffold. The public prosecutor alleged that the accused, responsible for on-site safety management, failed to implement mandatory fall prevention measures and neglected to conduct required safety inspections, thereby violating the duty of care under the Penal Code. The injured worker sustained multiple fractures requiring prolonged medical treatment. The case, docketed as Reiwa 6 (Wa) No. 242, drew attention to systemic enforcement of industrial safety regulations and the criminal liability of managerial personnel. The trial examined whether the defendant's omission directly caused the injury and whether the victim's own conduct contributed to the accident.

The court found the defendant guilty of professional negligence resulting in injury. A sentence of imprisonment with suspension of execution was imposed, accompanied by a fine, reflecting the court's assessment of the severity of the safety violation and the need for deterrence.

The primary dispute centered on whether the defendant's failure to enforce safety protocols constituted a criminal breach of the duty of care, and whether the causal link between that omission and the worker's injury was sufficiently established to exclude other intervening factors such as the victim's possible negligence.

The case prompted renewed scrutiny of occupational safety accountability in Japan, particularly the criminal exposure of field supervisors. It triggered industry-wide reviews of fall protection protocols and led to calls for stricter governmental oversight and mandatory safety training enhancements to prevent similar incidents.