Residents of a public housing estate in Kushiro, Hokkaido, expressed concern Thursday over the safety of their building a day after it came to light that Asahi Kasei Construction Materials Corp. fabricated piling work data during the construction of the facility.

"I was shocked as I believed the building was sound. What would happen in the event of an earthquake?," asked Sachiko Sato, 62, head of the residents' association for the housing estate run by the Hokkaido Prefectural Government.

Sato said a Hokkaido prefectural official on Wednesday night explained the details to her regarding the falsified data. Officials plan to meet with all the residents of the estate at a later date.