Standing on the blades of heavy equipment and working on it, destroying an adjacent apartment building… Shocking photos of a business hotel “demolition site that is too dangerous.

On September 4, a demolition site in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, was ordered by the local government to halt construction.

The site used to be a six-story business hotel. The demolition began in June of this year. Several foreigners were working on the site, and they were working on the nails of heavy machinery, which is forbidden, and were reckless. Waste materials were sticking out and breaking down the fence of an apartment building next door” (neighborhood resident).

As was the case at this demolition site, the number of foreigners working in the construction industry is increasing. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the number will exceed 110,000 in 2008. However, many foreign workers have problems with language and skill shortages, which can easily lead to accidents. Shinagawa Ward officials are also perplexed.

There are no construction signs that are required to be put up, and we haven’t even obtained permission to use the road. We have confirmed that the road is damaged. We immediately called the person in charge and told him that he was not taking safety into consideration and stopped the construction work.

Company A, the real estate agency that ordered the demolition work, posted an apology on its website on September 8. When we contacted Company B, they hung up the phone as soon as we told them we were going to interview them.

The previous demolition contractor (Company B) removed the heavy equipment, and the new contractor was responsible for removing the waste materials. We are told that construction will resume when the environment is ready.

The building, which was built in the 1960s during the construction rush, is deteriorating. Dangerous demolition work” is not just a problem in Shinagawa Ward.

From the October 6 , 2023 issue of FRIDAY