TOKYO, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) said Wednesday that Kumagai Gumi, a major Japanese construction company, issued a false report on concrete test in the construction of a Hokkaido Shinkansen tunnel extension.
According to the JRTT, the tunnel for which the false test report was issued is located in Abuta District in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, and the length of the tunnel is about 4.2 kilometers.
The agency is currently investigating how the false report affected the quality of the tunnel and the progress of the project, it added.
Kumagai Gumi said on the same day that they are aware of the seriousness of the situation and will take measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
According to Japanese regulations, as a test to confirm the strength of concrete, its water content should be tested every 50 cubic meters once before and once after pouring into the foundation. But the JRTT investigation found that Kumagai Gumi has only performed the one test before pouring. ■