Hoping to prevent scandals like the recent furor over falsified structural-strength reports, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry plans to impose new criminal penalties on architects who fabricate data even before construction begins, ministry sources said Wednesday.
The current law governing registered architects has no criminal provisions against those who falsify earthquake resistance and other data if the building has yet to be built.
The ministry plans to discuss details of the proposals, including setting the maximum prison term at one year, with the Justice Ministry before submitting the plan to the Diet, the sources said.