MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. (Kyodo) A budget hotel in Gunma Prefecture resumed operations Friday, about three months after business was suspended following revelations that quake-resistance data of the building had been fabricated and that it was at risk of collapsing in a major temblor.
Isesaki Sun Hotel, a 10-story, 125 guest room facility in Isesaki, reinforced walls whose quake resistance had been found to only be 55 percent of the required structural integrity.
Isesaki Sun Hotel is the first among a number of hotels that closed due to their quake vulnerability to reopen.
The reinforcement work cost Isesaki Sun Hotel about 60 million yen, while lost business topped 80 million yen, the hotel said.
The hotel's general manager, Kenji Kobori, told reporters he is pleased that the inn has reopened but regretted that many more hotels are still closed because of their design and construction flaws.
Isesaki Sun Hotel closed on Nov. 28, when the city of Isesaki announced the inn's structural data were suspected of being fabricated by architect Hidetsugu Aneha.
