Kobe Steel Ltd. said Thursday that a key quality certification for some of its copper and copper-alloy products has been revoked over its data falsification scandal.
The Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) pulled the certification known as Japanese Industrial Standards for Kobe Steel's copper and copper-alloy seamless tubes after inspecting Kobelco and Materials Copper Tube Co., or KMCT, a group firm that makes the products.
The JQA, which judges whether industrial products meet national quality standards, found last week that KMCT had shipped unfit products. While it is not legally mandated for products to have JIS certification, some firms only offer certified products to assure quality.