In a recent interview with Asahi Shimbun, a construction company president confessed to orchestrating a scheme where his employees posed as residents of condominiums to participate in renovation committees. This tactic aimed to secure contracts for large-scale repair projects, with the president admitting that this deceptive practice took place in around 40 cases since it began in 2020. The company, based in Higashi-Osaka, had two employees arrested last year for infiltrating a renovation committee in Kanagawa Prefecture under false identities. The president explained that the company hoped to bypass management fees imposed by residential management companies, which traditionally had to be paid by contractors, leading them to seek direct contact with residents instead.