The Itabashi Ward Office in Tokyo will submit to the ward assembly a draft disaster-prevention ordinance believed to be the first in Japan to penalize owners of buildings that do not measure up to quake-resistant standards, according to ward officials.
The proposed ordinance stipulates that the names of such buildings will be made public if their owners fail to follow the ward's recommended improvements, the officials said.
The ordinance covers such buildings as hospitals, schools and apartment blocks.