More trouble for Kobe steel as Japan revokes quality certification
by The Associated Press
The Japan Quality Assurance agency withdrew its certification for products used in all sorts of equipment, cars, trains and aircraft
TOKYO—Kobe Steel said it had found four new cases of faked inspections data as Japan’s quality assurance agency withdrew certification for some of its copper tubes.
The company reported that 88 companies out of 525 known to have been affected by falsified inspections data had not yet confirmed the safety of the products in question. The metal products are used in all sorts of equipment, cars, trains and aircraft.
“I believe the root causes of the problem have been addressed following our voluntary investigation,” the Kyodo news service quoted Kobe Steel’s CEO Hiroya Kawasaki as saying.
Japan’s trade minister said Oct. 26 that he believed the problems at the 112-year-old company, one of Japan’s top manufacturers, were exceptional rather than typical despite a spate of similar scandals at major automakers and other companies.
Earlier this week, the government said it had recommended that regulators check all the company’s facilities.
The Japan Quality Assurance agency withdrew its certification for products affected by the bogus inspections at a Kobe Steel subsidiary outside Tokyo.
It said that copper and copper alloy seamless tubs from its subsidiary Kobelco & Materials Copper Tubing in Hatano, southwest of Tokyo, will no longer qualify for the Japan Industrial Standards certification. However, they may still be supplied to customers if they meet quality specifications.
The new cases of faked data were on cast metals and reducers. Other products earlier found to have faulty inspections reports included aluminum products, steel powder, materials for liquid crystal displays and specialty steel.
So far there have been no reports of specific safety risks linked to the bogus inspections data.
