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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Quake-resistance data program was a major problem

At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on February 21, Japanese Communist Party representative Kokuta Keiji pointed out that the introduction of the system of issuing building permits using a government-certified program for determining the structural strength of buildings laid the groundwork for the falsification of structural strength.

Kokuta was referring to the 1998 law that ended screenings by a commission in charge of issuing building permits.

He said, "Examination of the structural strength for apartment buildings 20 meters and higher should be made by a commission. The land ministry must admit that the 1998 revision of the law was the cause of the data falsification scandal.

The JCP representative also revealed that very few local governments have the government-certified program for examination of structural strength, and that only 14 percent of local governments have staff members who understand the calculation of structural strength.
- Akahata, February 22, 2006