What does に indicate in "運転手に重大な過失は認められなかった"?


The following excerpt is from a reading comprehension exercise (page 214 of
TRY! 日本語能力試験 N2 文法から伸ばす日本語).

> 交差点で車同士が衝突する事故が起きた。事故原因の調査では、 **運転手に** 重大な過失は **認められなかった** 。

Is it correct to recognize 認められなかった as the (negation of the) passive form of
認める? If so, what does に indicate? Is 運転手に重大な過失は認められなかった equivalent to 運転手
**が** 重大な過失を認めなかった? (That seems logical grammatically. But it sounds like a
strange way of using the passive voice.) Does に indicate the location, in an
abstract sense, where 過失 (does not) exist? If so, who is the subject of 認める?




The subject of 認める is omitted and it is the person who did the 調査.

I'm not sure to what extent 認める parallels _to recognize_ , but there are two
slightly different meanings:

  1. _to admit_. E.g., 罪を認める (to concede that s/he is guilty)
  2. _to find_. E.g., 類似点をみとめる (to find resemblence)

The usage in question is 2 and に indicates abstract location ('no faults were
found in the driver'). If it is 運転手は過失を認めた, it means _The driver admitted his
own fault_.




The subject of 認める is omitted and it is the person who did the 調査.

I'm not sure to what extent 認める parallels _to recognize_ , but there are two
slightly different meanings:

  1. _to admit_. E.g., 罪を認める (to concede that s/he is guilty)
  2. _to find_. E.g., 類似点をみとめる (to find resemblence)

The usage in question is 2 and に indicates abstract location ('no faults were
found in the driver'). If it is 運転手は過失を認めた, it means _The driver admitted his
own fault_.

