Police in western Japan say they will investigate the case of illegal premium seats for a Tokushima dance festival. The seating reportedly did not meet building standards.

The special seats cost 200,000 yen each, or about 1,360 dollars. They were offered for the first time for the popular Awa Odori festival in August in Tokushima City in western Japan.

But it has been revealed that some parts of the structures, such as step width, did not meet the country's building standards.

Police on Wednesday accepted a criminal complaint filed by a civic group against the event organizing committee and a Tokyo-based company that planned the seating.

The committee apologized for the problem earlier this month, saying it had limited knowledge of the building standards and was not aware of any illegality. The committee is returning the seat fees to the purchasers.

The police plan to interview the relevant parties to establish if there is any criminal liability.