OSAKA -- Sanyo Electric Co. President Sadao Kondo expressed his intention to resign Tuesday in an effort to take responsibility for the sale of defective solar cell systems by a subsidiary.
The move came hours after International Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma urged Kondo to resign, or take responsibility by other means, for Sanyo Electric Clean Energy System Co.'s submitting of fabricated reports to the ministry regarding the defect.
Sanyo Electric has dismissed the subsidiary's president, Minoru Hagiwara, for allowing the sale of the systems despite knowing of their inability to generate sufficient electricity.