Hidetsugu Aneha, the architect accused of fabricating earthquake-resistance data for dozens of buildings nationwide, pleaded guilty Wednesday to several charges, including falsifying structural-calculation documents.
"I am deeply sorry," Aneha, 49, said at the opening session of his trial at the Tokyo District Court. "I apologize to the residents of the buildings and the owners of the hotels."
Aneha -- dressed in a white shirt with a black grid pattern, blue cotton twill pants and no hairpiece -- also pleaded guilty to lending his name as a state-licensed, first-class architect to Chiba Prefecture-based designer Mikio Akiba for 4.45 million yen in kickbacks.