Tax authorities ordered Sony Corp. and three other major companies to pay billions of yen in back taxes Friday as part of a crackdown on tax evasion on overseas earnings as the government hunts for more revenue and tries to improve corporate transparency.
In addition to Sony, the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau slapped back tax payment orders on automaker Mazda Motor Corp. and trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp.
The move comes days after Osaka tax authorities imposed similar back payments on Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and Sharp Corp.