Khaldon Azhari
TOKYO: Several Japanese construction subcontractors are suing companies involved with the Expo over unpaid bills for completed work on 11 pavilions at Expo Osaka, which concluded on October 13. Business owners KISHIDA Munesirou and TAKASEKI Chihiro announced at a press conference at the Foreign Press Club in Tokyo on Tuesday that they represent around 30 companies that have not received approximately 2 billion yen (about $13 million) for their work on the Expo.
The main accused is GL Events, a French company that served as a subcontractor.
A multitude of lawsuits have been filed to recover significant financial losses, casting a spotlight on various subcontractors, including GL Events. Business owners have not only initiated legal action but also pointed fingers at the Osaka and national governments, as well as Expo management, holding them accountable for the turmoil that has beset them.
Kishida Munesirou emphasized that the Expo is a national project and highlighted that Osaka Governor YOSHIMURA Hirofumi has recognized it as a matter for the public sector. Despite this acknowledgment, affected companies have yet to receive any support from the relevant government authorities, Kishida said.
Kishida and Takasaki expressed their profound sense of injustice, stating that they have lost employees and experienced family problems because contractors failed to pay. They emphasized that these contractors showed reckless disregard for the Japanese people and their workers, shifting responsibility onto others.
Journalist Nishitani Fumikazu, who was part of the support team for Kishida and Takesaki, addressed the issue, emphasizing the significant impact on local construction companies that had taken on projects at the request of the Osaka government. He holds both the Osaka and national governments accountable for the financial difficulties these local firms are experiencing.
“The situation with the Angola pavilion is unacceptable; the third contractor took the funds but failed to compensate the subcontractor’s underneath them,” Nishitani stated firmly. “Similarly, the second contractor for the American pavilion, NEO Space, went bankrupt in May, leaving lower-tier contractors without payment. It’s baffling how they could declare bankruptcy after receiving funds,” he emphasized.
Nishitani played a video at the conference of a protest held at GL Events’ Japan office in July, where executives refused to address the issue. When the protesters returned in August, they discovered that the office had been vacated and was empty, he reported.
“It’s a huge problem,” Nishitani stated. “We want either the Japanese government, the Osaka government, or the Expo organizers to pay the money.”
The pavilions involved in the disputes include those from Angola, China, Malta, Romania, Serbia, Germany, America, Nepal, India, Poland, and Uzbekistan.
Nishitani mentioned that GL Events had refused to pay a 200-million-yen balance for their project, citing trivial complaints about artistry, such as the wall being the wrong color or the table being the wrong shape.
Takaseki asserted that the government should support the companies while the court cases are pending.
“Since the Osaka Expo was a national event, we never imagined there would be issues with unpaid construction fees,” Kishida said, adding that Governor Yoshimura had requested Japanese companies to contribute to the Expo. “As contractors, we thought it would be an honor to participate in such an international event,” Kishida stated.
The companies remain hopeful that the issues can be resolved through negotiations, ultimately bringing a positive conclusion to this challenging situation.
AloJapan.com