Neighbours file dispute over new apartment building in Tokyo’s Shibaura district

The Sankei Shimbun has reported that residents of a 14-storey, 36-year old condominium near Shinagawa Station in Tokyo’s Minato-ku have filed a complaint with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government seeking the cancelling of the building permit for a project under construction on an adjoining lot.

The neighboring building is being built on land that was once part of the older condominium’s lot. The land was sold off, making the existing apartment building oversized for the lot based on floor-area ratios, and technically a non-compliant structure. As a non-compliant structure, local authorities may sometimes have the power to issue a forced demolition order, although these are rarely enforced.Read more