Mitsui Fudosan Co and other developers were due to build the Harumi Flag complex on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, featuring more than 20 apartment buildings, schools and a shopping facility.

Around 12,000 people were expected to move into the complex, which is converted from the Olympic Village used this summer and cost approximately $2 billion (£1.5 billion/€1.8 billion).

However, due to the Olympics and Paralympics' one-year postponement as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, developers claimed those who purchased properties in 2019 would face a delay moving in, initially stipulated for March 2023 in their contracts.

Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on Friday (December 24), arguing they will incur additional costs as a result of the delay, including rent.

They demand the properties be handed over by March 2023 or be paid 80 million yen (£522,000/$699,000/€616,000) in compensation.

"I have been looking forward to moving into the condo," one of the plaintiffs said after filing the lawsuit, as reported by Kyodo News.

"I want the developers to try their best to quicken the handover, even by a month."

In total, the Harumi Flag project featured 4,145 for-sale apartments across three residential blocks.

The development also features a new multi-mobility station - which will include a Tokyo BRT stop, a community cycle dock and a port for passenger ships.

Just over 1,500 people submitted applications for the first 600 units made available in July 2019.

Apartments start at 49 million yen (£320,000/$428,000/€378,000) and cost up to 229 million yen (£1.5 million/$2 million/€1.8 million).