Japan Education Ministry Corrects Dangerous Wall Survey Data

August 14, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's education ministry said Monday that it has corrected results of its emergency survey on external walls at schools across the country.

The number of schools covered by the survey was corrected to 51,082 from the 51,085, which was announced on Friday along with other findings from the survey.

The number of schools with dangerous concrete block or other walls increased to 12,652 from the earlier announced 12,640, with the proportion of schools having such walls rising to 24.8 pct from 24.7 pct.

The survey was conducted after a student at an elementary school in the western prefecture of Osaka was crushed to death as a concrete block wall at the school collapsed in a powerful earthquake on June 18.

It covered national, prefectural, municipal and private institutions, including kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools, and universities, asking them about the state of their concrete block, stone or brick walls as of June 19, and results of visual checks conducted and temporary measures taken by July 27.

A ministry official apologized for the mistake, which occurred partly because the ministry took data on private schools in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, for those of another prefecture.

The number of schools with walls that do not comply with an ordinance to implement the building standards law, including those with heights of over 2.2 meters, was corrected to 10,804 from 10,799, and that of schools having walls with degradation or damage to 7,484 from 7,473.

The number of schools that had taken emergency countermeasures was changed to 10,140 from 10,122.

The number of schools that do not have concrete block or other external walls was corrected to 30,698, or 60.1 pct of the total, from 30,733, or 60.2 pct. Jiji Press