MLIT revokes Sanwa Kucho fire protection facility construction business license

The Shikoku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the revocation of the construction business license for Sanwa Kukyo Co., Ltd., located in Matsushige-cho, Itano-gun, Tokushima Prefecture, in the Official Gazette (Public Notices/Miscellaneous Matters section) dated November 11, 2026. The date of the disposition was October 1, 2026, and the revoked license was for General Construction Business pertaining to Firefighting Facility Construction Work. The announcement was published to publicize the details of the disposition under Article 29, Paragraph 1 of the Construction Business Act, based on the provisions of Article 29-5, Paragraph 1 of the same Act.

The legal basis is the Construction Business Act (Act No. 100 of 1949). Article 29, Paragraph 1 of the Act lists the grounds upon which the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism or a prefectural governor may revoke a construction business license, and stipulates that if such a disposition is made, it must be announced in the Official Gazette pursuant to Article 29-5, Paragraph 1. As this disposition was under national jurisdiction, the announcement was issued under the name of Akihisa Okuda, Director-General of the Shikoku Regional Development Bureau.

Business Operator Subject to Disposition and License Identification Information

The identification information of the party subject to the disposition as stated in the announcement is as follows:

• Trade Name: Sanwa Kukyo Co., Ltd.
• Representative: Tomio Mori
• Location of Principal Office: 215-2 Yasakino-aza-Hakkai Kaitaku, Matsushige-cho, Itano-gun, Tokushima Prefecture
• License Number: Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism License (General/Special-06) No. 18548
• Date of Disposition: October 1, 2026

Details of Revocation and Factual Grounds

The content of the disposition is the revocation of the license based on Article 29, Paragraph 1 of the Construction Business Act, limited to the General Construction Business license regarding firefighting facility construction work.

The cause cited in the announcement is the fact that a notification of business closure was submitted on October 1, 2026, in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 of the Construction Business Act (including cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis in Article 17). The Bureau determined that this falls under Article 29, Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the same Act. In other words, the notification of the cessation of business is the direct basis for the disposition, which differs in nature from revocations based on lack of qualification or defects in construction execution.

The Procedure of Public Announcement and Verification Items for Orderers

Since the revocation of a license is formally publicized to take external effect through the Official Gazette, the date of the announcement serves as the starting point for verification by orderers or agencies conducting reviews of bidding qualifications. When ordering public works, whether the contractor holds a General Construction Business license for firefighting facility construction work is subject to qualification screening; as a result of this disposition, the company loses this license.

The announcement states that both the date of disposition and the date of the business closure notification were October 1, 2026, meaning it took approximately one month from the notification to the announcement. The announcement was published in the public notice section of the Official Gazette, which also included public notices from other regional development bureaus on the same date.

Ordering agencies for public works and prime contractors must verify the presence or absence of permits via Official Gazette announcements and the ledgers of the licensing administrative authorities when certifying bidding qualifications or selecting subcontractors. The fire protection facility construction business is a category where only general construction is distinguished; if this permit is lost, it becomes impossible to directly undertake contracts for the construction of fire protection equipment, etc. For small-scale businesses within Tokushima Prefecture, the fact that permit revocations accompanying notifications of business closure are widely publicized in the Official Gazette serves as official information that prompts clients to conduct credit checks and re-examine qualification requirements.

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, “Public Notice of Revocation of Construction Business Permit,” Official Gazette dated November 11, 2026 (Public Notices/Miscellaneous Matters section), issued by the Director-General of the Shikoku Regional Development Bureau; Subject of Action: Sanwa Air Conditioning Co., Ltd. (Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Permit (General Special-06) No. 18548), Date of Action: October 1, 2026.