The infrastructure ministry is set to impose a weeklong business suspension on a construction firm after it submitted falsified data on seismic reinforcement runway work at Tokyo's Haneda airport, ministry sources said.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is understood to believe that Tokyo-based Toa Corp. did not carry out the proper reinforcement work as required by law, calling Toa's work "sloppy," the sources said Tuesday.
The work in question is designed to brace for a possible powerful earthquake that could directly strike the Tokyo metropolitan area, similar to the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
Toa admitted last Friday that it submitted falsified data to the ministry to cover up its shoddy construction work, raising questions on whether the runway could withstand a powerful quake.
Its president, Masaomi Matsuo, has expressed an intention to step down to take responsibility for the scandal.
The work, which was ordered by the ministry, was to prevent liquefaction under the runway. But the company did not inject the necessary amount of chemicals — only 5.4 percent of the agent it should have, as stated in its design — due to obstacles such as concrete pieces.
The ministry ordered Toa to reveal by this Friday details of the work in question as well as measures to prevent a recurrence, the sources said.
Despite the discovery, the ministry said regular operations of the runway could continue, they said.
Toa carried out similar construction work at two other domestic airports — Matsuyama Airport in Ehime Prefecture and Fukuoka Airport. It is not known if there have been any falsifications at the two airports.