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[Captain Japan]

Newly built Diet dormitory may have 90 vacant units
Daily Yomiuri

A public dormitory for House of Representatives members in Akasaka, Tokyo, currently under construction, may not be filled because the government did not conduct sufficient research on the number of units necessary.

The 300-unit project began in fiscal 1999 to replace the original 35-year-old public dormitory.

The design was commissioned following a request from the lower house that asked architects to come up with a plan to best use the 9,583 square meters of available land.

Architects presented plans for a 28-story building, consisting of 12 units on each floor, with a maximum of 300 units, based on a requirement that the floor-to-area ratio, that is the ratio of total floor space to lot area, be 400 percent or less....more...

[Captain Japan]

Diet member dorms to be razed, sites sold
Japan Times

Two public dormitories for House of Representatives members on prime land in Tokyo will be demolished under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's drive to dispose of government assets for fiscal reconstruction.

The move has saddened veteran politicians, who remember the dormitories as the setting for secret late-night meetings by political bosses during tense moments.

A Lower House subcommittee decided June 14 to demolish the Takanawa and Aoyama dormitories in Minato Ward by the end of March.

Public dormitories were constructed for use by Diet members elected in districts outside Tokyo's 23 wards. In addition to the two to be demolished, the Lower House has two others, in Kudan, Chiyoda Ward, and in Akasaka, Minato Ward. The Akasaka facility is being rebuilt....more...