Nearly completed Tokyo condo to be demolished for spoiling Mount Fuji views

Major Japanese developer Sekisui House Ltd. announced Monday that it would demolish a nearly completed condominium in western Tokyo, just weeks before handover to buyers, after nearby residents complained that the building partially blocked views of Mount Fuji.

Osaka-based Sekisui House said it decided to demolish the 10-story, 18-unit condominium in Kunitachi, built along a street known for views of the iconic 3,776-meter peak, due to a ” insufficient consideration of the impact on the landscape.”

The rare move came despite the developer holding meetings with residents about it and making changes to the structure from the original plan, such as reducing the number of floors by 11 and lowering the height of each floor.

“We were aware of the (local) culture that values ​​the landscape, but we failed to adequately take it into account. We also apologize to the contracting parties,” said a representative of Maison Sekisui, promising to make efforts to prevent this from happening again.

Construction of the condominium, located about a 10-minute walk from JR Kunitachi Station, began in January 2023. Most units were sold for between 70 million yen ($446,000) and 80 million yen.

Sekisui House informed the Kunitachi municipal government on Tuesday of its decision to cancel the project and dismantle the building. The company said it would count construction costs and decommissioning costs as extraordinary losses.

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