Japanese condo residents to get sunlight via optical fibre system, report says

TOKYO (AP) - Residents of a Japanese condo are set to receive sunlight via a lighting system that transmits natural light from a rooftop lens to their rooms, a news report said Wednesday. Residents demanded the 14-storey condo in central Tokyo be fitted with the system after finding that a 12-storey building would be erected only several metres away, blocking their access to sunlight, according to the daily Sankei newspaper.

"We are united in our desire for sunlight," the paper quoted resident Tadashi Ueda as saying.

The lighting system, developed by a consortium of engineering companies with government support, transmits sunlight captured by a large rooftop lens through an optical fibre system.

Harmful ultraviolet rays are removed before the light enters the condos, according to the consortium's website.

Some offices and homes already use the lighting system, but this is the first time a whole condo will be fitted, the Sankei said.

The consortium couldn't be reached Wednesday, a public holiday in Japan. The report didn't specify how much the system would cost.

© The Canadian Press, 2006