Playback ’06] The “Lawsuit” Fought by Huether President Kojima Against the “Falsification of Earthquake Resistance of Condominiums

Moving from a high-rise building in Marunouchi

What was “FRIDAY” reporting 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In this issue of “Playback Friday,” we revisit the topics that made headlines back then. In this issue, we will look back at the February 17, 2006 issue, which was published 20 years ago, and report the following: “Relocation of Headquarters” and “13.9 Billion Yen ‘Upset’ Lawsuit! The article is titled “The Huizar Corporation’s “Escape from Arrest! The article is titled “Hueser President Kojima Will Do Anything to Evade Arrest!

The “condominium quake-proof falsification case” was uncovered in November 2005. Mr. A, a first-class architect at a design firm, falsified structural calculations, and condominiums that did not meet the standards for earthquake resistance were sold. Mr. Susumu Kojima (then 52), the president of Huether and the construction company, became the center of the controversy, partly because of his quirky character.

Although Kojima denied the allegations that he handed over the condominiums to the purchasers knowing that they were falsified to be earthquake-proof, his connections to the political world were also revealed. He was pursued in the Diet, and his popularity began to deteriorate.

On January 28, 2006, packages were hurriedly brought into a secluded building in Ota Ward, Tokyo. Hueser, which had been headquartered in a high-rise building in Marunouchi with a tenant fee said to be 10 million yen, had relocated its headquarters. It is believed that the company had no choice but to relocate due to the tight financial situation caused by the earthquake-proof falsification incident, and the scene seemed to reflect the company’s situation at the time. Kojima’s activities were not limited to this.

Lawsuits Filed One After Another

The following day (January 30), Susumu Kojima, president of Huether Corporation, was in the Tokyo District Court, where he filed a lawsuit against 18 local governments, claiming that Huether had “failed in its duty of care to prevent illegal buildings and overlooked the falsification of building permits.

Huether claims that it suffered losses because it neglected its duty of care to prevent illegal buildings from being built, and overlooked the falsifications in the building permits.

The total amount claimed by Huether is approximately 13.9 billion yen.

Experts are puzzled by the fact that Huether, which is suspected of having led the falsification, is holding the municipality responsible.

At a press conference held at the Judicial Press Club, Kojima stressed that the lawsuit was “for the residents. However, the cost of the stamps alone for filing the lawsuit was 28 million yen. In addition, he would have to pay a starting fee of 14 million yen to his lawyer, which this magazine estimated, and twice that amount, 28 million yen, as compensation after the trial was over.

In contrast, Huether had approximately 54.6 million yen in deposits at that time that it could withdraw freely. The 309 families living in the condominiums in question filed for Huether’s bankruptcy on the following January 31 in order to secure compensation costs.

But Huether’s moves did not stop there. It filed a lawsuit for 500 million yen in damages against eHomes, a private confirmation inspection organization, claiming that it had published false facts related to the incident, seriously damaged its honor and credibility, and forced it to discontinue its business.

Kojima’s actions were criticized by the public as “shifting the responsibility to the local government and E Homes,” “struggling to avoid responsibility,” and so on.

The “present” of Kojima, who lost everything

On February 16, 2006, the Tokyo District Court decided to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against Huether, and on February 23, 2006, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government revoked its building lot and building transaction business license. Then, following the arrest of former architect A, the president of E Homes, and the president of the construction company in April, Kojima was arrested in May on the charge of fraud by “delivering a condominium while knowing that it was falsified to be earthquake-proof. Kojima pleaded not guilty, but in 2011 he was sentenced to three years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence. That year also marked the end of Hueser’s bankruptcy proceedings.

However, during the trial, Architect A testified that “there was no pressure (from Huether or the construction company)” and that he committed the crime of his own volition. Kojima, too, was “caught in the middle” of the quake-proof deception. As for the fraud of which she was convicted, she claimed that she had instructed the company to stop the sale when the deception was discovered. Audio evidence, which was not used in the trial, has also been disclosed.

After the incident, Kojima, who had lost the company he had built up in his own lifetime, worked for his younger brother’s property management company, managing properties. Later, he launched a solar business with a single-minded determination. In the May 1-8, 1925 issue of “Shukan Shincho,” Mr. Kojima said, “I was not involved in any falsification and knew nothing about it, but I was made out to be the mastermind behind it. When the reporter asked him about Huether’s responsibility as the architect, he replied, “That’s right.

[That’s] exactly right. I still feel very sorry for the buyers.

At a press conference soon after the seismic deception was discovered, he said, “Please call me Ojamamon,” referring to Hollyemon, who was the man of the hour at the time, and at an invitation to be a witness before the Diet, he said to the president of E Homes, “What the hell are you talking about?　You’ve got to be kidding me! and threatening to blow up the president of eHomes at a parliamentary reference call. Because of his quirky character, Kojima may have been too much of a “villain” in the public’s eyes during the earthquake-proof falsification scandal.