Section 1. Expanding the Building Management Business

We requested in writing that they address the prospects of returning the buildings, but no response was forthcoming, so on August 30, 1955, we filed a request for termination of contract with the Director-General of the Tokyo Procurement Bureau. Negotiations were still ongoing, however, so in July 1956, our company finally filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government demanding that the Hibiya Daibiru Buildings be vacated and that compensation for damages be paid. In response, the Prime Minister gave approval for the use of the buildings on the basis of the treaty between Japan and the US, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Expropriation Commission handed down a ruling that mandated compulsory use for two years starting in February 1957, with compensation to be paid during that period. Our company was not satisfied with this outcome, but eventually we accepted it, reached a settlement, and dropped the lawsuit.

It was not until October 31, 1958, that our company received notification from the authorities that the Hibiya Daibiru Buildings would be returned. On December 1 of that year, the Hibiya Daibiru Buildings were released from requisitioning, ending their 12-year, 5-month period of negative history.

Immediately after the requisitioning was lifted, our company issued notices to the organizations that had been tenants prior to the requisitioning and undertook restoration and renovation work so that the buildings could reopen. The construction was carried out by Obayashi Corporation in a rush and was completed on May 28, 1959. Accordingly, our Tokyo Office returned to an office on the second floor of Building No. 1. On June 1, 1959, the Hibiya Daibiru Buildings reopened and welcomed back such prominent companies as O.S.K. Lines, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Sumitomo Bakelite, Kansai Electric Power, and Nissin Electric as tenants.