, based in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, reportedly advised owners of business hotel chains to use Heisei Sekkei to reduce construction costs. Four such chains in Aichi Prefecture received similar tips from the consulting firm.
Officials from Kubota Construction, based in Komagane, Nagano Prefecture, said Soken chief Takeshi Uchikawa told them in early 2000 to use Heisei Sekkei if they wanted to build business hotels cheaply in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.
Uchikawa told them the low fees charged by Heisei Sekkei were reasonable in light of its unique construction methods, the officials said.
Country Hotel Takayama, an 11-story, 141-room hotel erected in 2001, closed on Nov. 26 after learning the building was not built to government quake-resistance standards.
Heisei Sekkei is said to be close Aneha and to have subcontracted some of its structural design work to him. According to the land ministry, Aneha fabricated structural data for 62 buildings, including 32 designed by Heisei Sekkei.
Heisei Sekkei designed most of the business hotels compromised by Aneha's data. It is also affiliated with Kimura Construction Co., the company that built many of the properties he designed. Kimura Construction went bankrupt shortly after the building-code scandal broke last month.
Aneha was found to have used a business card issued by Heisei Sekkei.
Soken chief Uchikawa told reporters Friday he introduced Heisei Sekkei to owners of business hotel chains when asked for recommendations, but denied knowing Aneha and claimed he didn't know about the firm until the scandal broke.
Heisei Sekkei has acknowledged Uchikawa's consulting firm played a leading role in helping it obtain design contracts for business hotels.
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