A “famous resort condominium in Ito! The “court battle” between the president of the management association and the residents

Residents rebel against self-righteous board chairman

You old hag!”

Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, has been in the news for the alleged academic fraud of its mayor, Maki Takubo (55). The “Ito Mansion,” located a 10-minute drive from Ito Station in the center of the city, is one of the well-known local residences with four condominiums and a hot spring bath on the premises.

According to a local real estate company, “Ito Villa Yamanoue,” the second annex of Ito Mansion, which has a total of about 100 units and a history of more than 50 years, is currently experiencing a trouble that has blown away its resort atmosphere. The trouble began in 1886 when a problem occurred at the Ito Villa Yamanoue.

The trouble began in 2006, when a man named Mr. K was appointed chairman of the management association. One of the former board members revealed, “This condominium has been in existence for close to 30 years.

One of the former board members revealed, “This condominium had a history in which the former board chairman, who had been in power for nearly 30 years, was finally deposed after a court case. In order to avoid dictatorship, a rule was established that the term of office of the chairman of the board of directors is limited to four years, but Chairman K. is the chairman of the board of directors. However, Chairman K claimed to have obtained the approval of more than two-thirds of the unit owners (room owners, hereinafter referred to as “residents”), and the agreement was abolished. Thereafter, the residents’ opinions were disregarded. Some residents protested that another self-righteous board chairman was being created.”

Tomoaki Ishii, a professor at Meiji University who served as Ito Villa’s board chairman for the past two years, is one of the residents protesting the board, and has filed three lawsuits, including a request to inspect the list of association members in order to convene an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the removal of board chairman K. The case is still pending. Mr. Ishii explains the “arrogance” of the board chairman that the residents are accusing him of.

When resident A objected to Chancellor K’s attempt to cut down a tree in front of the Ito Villa, citing landscape protection as the reason, Chancellor K became furious. A resident A objected on the grounds of landscape protection, which enraged Chairman K. He said, “You fat bastard,” and a fight ensued. The police were dispatched to the incident, and A was later entered in the minutes of the board meeting as a “non-payer” of two months’ worth of management fees that had been paid, and all residents were notified in writing that he was a “non-payer. Due to the stress of having his personal information exposed, A later developed PTSD.

In September 2008, Mr. Ishii filed a complaint with the Shizuoka District Legal Affairs Bureau, claiming that he was suffering psychological damage due to the president’s words and actions, and the bureau launched an investigation as a case of human rights violation. Since then, Mr. Ishii has received several calls from residents who questioned the merits of Chancellor K’s management system.

Many of them questioned the qualifications of Chancellor K.,” Ishii said. They said that he verbally abused Ms. B, who pointed out a leak caused by a typhoon, calling her a “bitch,” ignored Ms. C because he didn’t like her, and made personal attacks with impunity. Perhaps because I myself specialize in Chinese studies, the chairman of the board of trustees called me a “scoundrel” and a “rag tag” to my face. The rule that all residents are required to leave their room keys with the management office in case of emergency is also questionable. While there are still concerns about safety, there was an incident in which an expensive bag was stolen while a resident was not at home,” said Ishii.

Chairman of the board of directors denies all charges as “made up.

Mr. Ishii also pointed out that the management association had purchased unaccounted-for gift certificates and asked President K to investigate the accounting books, but he did not receive a clear answer. If the board chairman would not take action, he decided to appeal to the residents, and wrote a letter of complaint with Ishii’s name and contact information, describing the existence of unaccounted-for money and other allegations that surfaced after K became board chairman, and posted it, but “Chairman K did not take it as a suspicious letter,” Ishii said angrily. He thought about running for the board of directors in an effort to reform the association from within, but was unsuccessful in gaining the support of the board of directors.

Many of the residents are elderly, in their 70s and 80s. Moreover, due to the nature of the resort condominium, nearly half of them are not in Ito, so they are indifferent to problems. The general meeting, which all residents are eligible to attend, is where important matters concerning the management of the condominium are voted on, but when I raised questions about management methods and unclear expenditures, the board members insisted that they had the proxy of the majority of residents and were ‘trusted. The general meeting, scheduled for the end of August, has been moved from a weekend to a weekday, when it is more difficult for people to gather. I fear the collapse of condominium autonomy.

How does Mr. K, the chairman of the board of directors, listen to these residents’ complaints? When we called him to confirm, he denied everything, saying, “There is absolutely no fact that I verbally abused the residents. He denied all allegations and continued, “It is a fabrication.

He continued, “It’s just that some residents are overreacting. （Mr. Ishii has been speaking selfishly to the management association through his attorney, and we are very confused. The majority of residents support our board of directors. It is Mr. Ishii who is interfering with the management by spreading suspicious documents. Even the books of accounts are kept under glass and disclosed. As for the dispute, we have been suing Mr. Ishii for damages caused by not allowing him to be a board member. Mr. Ishii is not dictatorial, and he listens carefully to the opinions of residents at general meetings. The holding of the general meeting on a weekday was also announced about two months in advance, and there was no particular intention. We intend to ask the will of the people at each general meeting and deal with the matter appropriately.

Mr. Ishii, on the other hand, said, “In the first place, it was the chairman of the board of directors who filed the complaint. The high court found that the letter of accusation was not a suspicious document,” he countered.

What is certain is that the signboard of Ito’s leading resort condominium has been damaged by the topsy-turvy infighting.