Tokyo's Unfolding Construction Scandal

A scandal is unfolding in Tokyo as 57 buildings are identified as likely to fail in a moderate earthquake.

1 minute read

December 16, 2005, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


" 'The credibility of the entire [buildings] system is on the rocks,' said Construction and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa...

To date, officials have identified 57 buildings with deliberately underdesigned seismic resistance, all with fraudulent documentation. Many could not withstand a moderate quake, say government officials, who are scrambling to provide housing for 2,200 families who have to vacate condemned condominiums. More than a dozen hotels have closed. And government officials and engineers are working their way through 200 buildings with structures by Hidetsugu Aneha, the disgraced architect at the center of the scandal."

Friday, December 16, 2005 in Engineering News Record

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