Aeon Sets Up External Panel to Investigate Kumamoto Mall Explosion
Aeon has established an external committee of experts to investigate an explosion at its Aeon Mall Kumamoto store in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, which occurred on July 29 amid a seismic-intensity-7 earthquake. Announced on August 20, the committee is chaired by lawyer Yasuhiko Fujitsu and includes professors from Chiba University and the University of Tokyo, with a gas-explosion specialist to be added. Aeon said it will publish the committee's report and apply the findings to future disaster-prevention and facility-safety standards.
An explosion occurred at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, following an earthquake. The incident took place on July 29, when the prefecture recorded a seismic intensity of 7.
On August 20, Aeon announced that it had established an accident investigation committee comprising external experts to determine the cause of the explosion and devise measures to prevent any recurrence.
The committee is chaired by lawyer Yasuhiko Fujitsu. Members include Yoshihisa Maruyama, professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at Chiba University, and Naoya Sekiya, director of the Center for Integrated Disaster Information Research at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies. A university professor specializing in gas explosions is also slated to join.
To support the investigation, the committee will be staffed with investigative assistants, including lawyers, and advisors.
Aeon said it will publish the committee's report once it is submitted and will apply the findings to future disaster-prevention standards and improvements to facility safety.