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A spokesman for Japanese multibillionaire Masao Nangaku...

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From Times Staff and Wire Services

A spokesman for Japanese multibillionaire Masao Nangaku said the Tokyo businessman has not abandoned plans to build the $90-million, 35-story Minami Tower skyscraper in downtown Las Vegas.

Greg Nelson, the Minami Development Corp. executive vice president who was overseeing construction of the office complex, resigned last week during a meeting with Nangaku in Tokyo.

Nelson said he stepped down after the Japanese businessman announced his intention to walk away from the project, leaving unpaid architects and construction workers, torn-up sidewalks and damaged streets adjacent to the construction site.

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Nelson said Nangaku, who also owns the Dunes Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, is strapped for cash and is closing down or scaling back projects worldwide.

However, Minami spokesman Fred Lewis denied that the project, which would become Nevada’s largest office structure, is in trouble.

“Greg Nelson went to Japan, got into a beef with Nangaku and quit,” Lewis said Thursday. “What we have here is a disgruntled former employee.”

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