The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural police launched a joint investigation Dec. 20 into Japan's building-design scandal, raiding more than 100 locations in Tokyo and five prefectures -- Chiba, Saitama, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Miyazaki.
The large number of raided sites and the fact that more than 520 officers were mobilized reflect the serious nature of the scandal that has arisen from the fabrication of earthquake-resistance data by structural engineer Mr. Hidetsugu Aneha as well as the eagerness of the police to discover the extent of the scandal -- from initial plans and designs for affected buildings to design certification, construction and sales.
It is hoped that the police will live up to the determination expressed by National Police Agency Director General Iwao Uruma: "We will thoroughly unravel this."