Toyoko Inn Co. illegally renovated 70 of its hotels in 25 prefectures, according to a Kyodo News tally based on findings by local authorities through Tuesday.
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa said Tuesday that Toyoko Inn appears to have been violating the law for some time.
Kitagawa said at a news conference that his ministry will look into hotel designers and deal strictly with the innkeeper's violations.
The municipal government of Sendai began inspecting four Toyoko Inn hotels there Monday after finding one of the facilities had converted a bicycle parking lot to a picture exhibition area without authorization after it underwent a city inspection last March upon completion of the building, city officials said.