The Tokyo District Court turned down a damages suit Friday filed by failed condo developer Huser Ltd. that sought some ¥5 billion from nine local governments and two building inspection agencies for overlooking the fabrication of quake-resistance data on its condos.
Presiding Judge Hidetaka Matsui said the country's building certification system does not require local governments to guarantee the legality of structures built after their certification, noting the system is based on trust in architects.
Neither the local governments nor inspection agencies had expected any intentional fabrication of building data before a series of fabrications by now-disqualified architect Hidetsugu Aneha came to light in November 2005, the judge said.
Overlooking the data fabrication does not necessarily represent negligence on the part of the local governments and inspection agencies, Matsui said.
Court findings showed Huser built 13 condominium complexes from 1999 to 2004 in Tokyo and its vicinity after obtaining authorization for construction. But the firm suffered a huge loss after the buildings' quake-resistance data were found to be fabricated, the court said.
Aneha is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for fabricating those data and for perjury.