Top executives of Asahi Kasei Corp., parent of the company that handled the piling work for a tilting Yokohama condominium building, apologized Tuesday and said the firm will deal "sincerely" with the residents and do its best to discover the facts surrounding the case.
"We sincerely apologize for the great damage caused to residents of the building," Asahi Kasei President Toshio Asano told a hastily arranged news conference in Tokyo attended by nearly 200 reporters. "We are deeply, deeply sorry. Our priority is on ensuring the safety and security of the residents."
The firm also announced that it will soon set up an outside investigative panel comprised of around three lawyers who have no connection with the company, "in line with requests from affected residents."