Family sues Japan and building owner after a 7-story Noto building toppled and killed two

The reinforced concrete structure, finished in 1975, tipped over from its base and crushed the house and izakaya next door, killing Yukari Kusunoki, 48, and Jura Kusunoki, 19, The Japan Times and Jiji Press reported. The suit was filed in the Tokyo District Court.

An expert panel for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism concluded in December 2025 that several factors combined: columns placed unevenly so that certain piles carried more load, soft ground, and piles weaker than current standards require. Seismic standards for piles did not exist when the building went up; they were introduced in 2001, TBS reported. According to Jiji and the Tokyo Shimbun, the panel found it was the first case in Japan of a pile-supported reinforced concrete building toppling in an earthquake.

The complaint argues the government knew older piles were vulnerable but limited mandatory seismic diagnosis to large buildings of 5,000 square meters or more, which left this one outside local oversight, Kyodo News reported in Nikkei. Had local authorities been properly directed, the suit says, the building could have been reinforced or taken out of use. Against Goshimaya, a Wajima lacquerware maker, it argues the building lacked basic safety measures, citing the absence of reinforcing bars tying the piles to the foundation. None of these claims has been tested in court.

Neither the government nor Goshimaya would comment, according to Jiji. The land ministry is studying safety measures for buildings put up before the 2001 pile standards, TBS reported. Kusunoki, 58, has reopened his restaurant in Kawasaki.