News On Japan

Why Did a Wooden Home in Tokyo Collapse?

TOKYO, Oct 02 (News On Japan) - A two-story wooden house collapsed in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward on the night of September 30th, with experts suggesting that the ground beneath the property, rather than the building itself, gave way, likely due to a cracked retaining wall.

Real estate appraiser and first-class architect Osamu Kimura, who also conducts seismic assessments in the area, said he had never before seen a retaining wall collapse in this way. “It was quite a shock,” Kimura said, after visiting the site on October 1st. The house stood on sloping ground near Zenpukuji River, supported by an aging retaining wall about 4 to 5 meters above the adjacent land, which is occupied by a large apartment building. Local residents said the house, estimated to be 30 to 40 years old, collapsed toward the apartment side.

Footage from the scene showed debris completely blocking a narrow road, with the house’s interior reduced to fragments. Kimura explained that the collapse appeared to be triggered by ground failure: “The building itself was old, but it was the soil that gave way, carrying the house down with it.”

Neighbors recalled hearing loud crashing noises and watching the structure fall “almost in slow motion.” Some noted the house already had cracks, while others said the retaining wall had bulged and developed fissures. Kimura confirmed that cracks had indeed formed, likely caused by soil pressure behind the wall. He added that recent heavy downpours may have worsened the situation, as accumulated water would have added pressure to the ground.

The Suginami Ward building division had previously instructed the property owner to reinforce the retaining wall. According to the ward, the owner had just found a contractor able to carry out the work when the collapse occurred. Asked whether authorities could have acted sooner, Kimura noted that the retaining wall was privately owned, limiting the scope of government intervention. “Unless there is clear legal justification or obvious imminent danger, stronger administrative action is difficult,” he said.

Commentator Patrick Harlan contrasted Japan’s emphasis on private property rights with practices abroad. “In Europe or the U.S., once there’s a risk to public safety, community interests take priority,” he said. “I wish repairs had been carried out first, with costs and rights settled later.”

Kimura emphasized that the ward had already issued guidance and that preparations for repairs were underway, calling the collapse an unforeseen incident. Footage from January had also shown cracks in the retaining wall, raising questions about whether preventive action could have been taken earlier. Authorities are expected to review the case and consider future measures to prevent similar accidents.

Source: FNN

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A two-story wooden house collapsed in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward on the night of September 30th, with experts suggesting that the ground beneath the property, rather than the building itself, gave way, likely due to a cracked retaining wall.

Heavy rainfall battered parts of Hokkaido, with some areas receiving more than a month’s worth of precipitation in only six hours, prompting flood warnings and evacuation advisories. Meteorologists are saying the downpour was the result of a combination of unstable atmospheric conditions and moist air flowing in from the sea.

Kamakura City in Kanagawa Prefecture has approved the introduction of a bathing tax, but the measure is drawing strong criticism from local hot spring operators since only two facilities fall under the new levy.

Osaka Prefecture has revised its ordinance to set a cap of 100,000 yen per day on ATM transfers made with cash cards by certain elderly account holders, marking the first such restriction in Japan.

A bombshell report has surfaced in Kanagawa Prefecture, the political base of Shinjiro Koizumi, where as many as 826 members of the Liberal Democratic Party aligned with the Takaichi faction were treated as having resigned from the party without their consent, according to an investigation by the weekly magazine Bunshun.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A woman in her 30s was found dead with multiple stab wounds in Higashi-Osaka after a man who claimed to have stabbed someone turned himself in at a local police station.

Today, we'll be looking at some CRAZY Japanese tattoos that foreigners got! Even Ariana Grande got a really bad tattoo! They're so weird and don't make sense at all! (Mrs Eats)

Osaka Prefecture has revised its ordinance to set a cap of 100,000 yen per day on ATM transfers made with cash cards by certain elderly account holders, marking the first such restriction in Japan.

Japan's National Police Agency and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department launched a new structure on October 1st to pursue the leaders of the so-called Tokuryu, an 'anonymous and fluid' crime group responsible for large-scale fraud and violent robberies linked to black-market recruitment.

A Spanish tourist in Japan has become the subject of widespread criticism after a series of videos showed him pushing a passenger on a train, firing fireworks at a karaoke shop, and intruding into a shrine, with condemnation spreading even to his home country.

A hairdresser operating a salon in Tokyo’s Omotesando district has been arrested on suspicion of luring a female client into the restroom and committing indecent acts, raising questions about how a well-known stylist with a large clientele carried out such conduct.

Removal work has begun at an underground parking facility in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, where 274 vehicles were submerged during record rainfall on September 12th.

A man on trial for fatally shooting relatives with a crossbow in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, claimed in court on September 30th that the victims were "people who deserved to be killed" and added that he wants to be executed as soon as possible.