Overview

• Neighbors placed multiple 110 calls around 7:15 p.m. on September 30 reporting a house about to fall in the Horinouchi area, about 300 meters west of Honancho Station.
• The resident, a man in his 50s, evacuated after noticing signs of imminent collapse, his son was out, and police reported no injuries or missing persons.
• Police and fire officials say a 4–5 meter retaining wall gave way, destroying the two-story wooden house and pushing debris across the street into a neighboring apartment’s balconies.
• Some residents of the adjacent apartment building relocated to hotels as a precaution, though no one there was injured.
• The house, built 57 years ago with a total floor area of about 78 square meters, had been the subject of ward guidance to reinforce the at-risk retaining wall, and the owner had recently reported finding a contractor as a wider investigation and cleanup continue.