East Japan Railway carried out an internal probe which found, among other things, that one employee had driven a train through 16 stations in Tokyo earlier this year while feeling sleepy, Japan’s public broadcaster said NHK said.
In another incident the firm discovered that a 57-year-old male conductor on duty was “intermittently” reading a comic book last month on the Yokohama line, southwest of Tokyo, NHK and Tokyo Broadcasting System said.
Another on-the-job conductor, aged 53, was also found reading a book in Kofu, west of the capital, they said.
“I sincerely apologise as the acts could lead to distrust and fears among passengers,” company president Tetsuro Tomita said, according to NHK.
Tomita added the firm would strictly reprimand staff for violating company rules.
There were no accidents as a result of the misconduct, local media said.
