Society

Leopalace finds defects in over 11,000 buildings

Feb 20 (NHK) - A Japanese real estate leasing company says it has found defects in more than 11,000 buildings nationwide.

Leopalace 21 told NHK that it inspected about 14,000 of its buildings by January 28th and found that 11,243 of them have problems.

The inspection was prompted by the discovery last year that Leopalace had failed to install fire-resistant walls in more than 200 of its buildings.

Company officials say they will ask 7,711 residents of 641 buildings to move out by the end of next month at the firm's cost. They say these buildings are at greater risk because the fireproof structures in the ceilings do not meet government standards.

Leopalace says it plans to finish inspecting the remaining 25,000 buildings by June, and carry out repairs by October.

Ishiba Shigeru elected LDP leader

Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

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New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

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Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

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