The head of an architectural design office embroiled in a scandal over faked quake-resistance data in three building projects in Fukuoka Prefecture refused Monday to give unsworn testimony before a Diet committee.
Shoji Nakamori, an architect with first-class qualifications and head of the now-defunct architectural design firm Something, notified the Lower House Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of his decision not to appear at a committee session scheduled for Tuesday, committee officials said.
Earlier this month, the Fukuoka Municipal Government found that faked quake-resistance data had been used by Kimura Construction Co. to construct at least three condo complexes in the prefecture.
The discovery was the first case of falsified quake data by someone other than architect Hidetsugu Aneha.
In a faxed message Monday, Nakamori was quoted as saying he was "in the middle of the process to prove that I am innocent."
The committee will decide how to deal with Nakamori's refusal Tuesday, officials said.
Nakamori was also quoted as saying in his message, "If the Fukuoka Municipal Government presents all the documents related to the three projects, and if I am given an opportunity to verify the city's claim, I will appear at a committee session."