Residents of one of central Tokyo's most densely populated areas are complaining that the air they breathe may be being contaminated by innumerable pathogens escaping from the the building next door.

Since 1992, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, an affiliate of the Health and Welfare Ministry, has been researching pathogens in an effort to understand their nature and find effective ways to combat them at its facility in Toyama in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.

Locals, who believe the facility emits pathogens and other harmful chemical substances through its ventilators, have sought a court order to stop the facility's operations.