Japan, which prides itself on maintaining propriety and order, has suddenly been hit by a spate of corporate scandals.
Three companies disclosed internal malfeasance in the space of 24 hours last week, including a firm that says one of its units tried to cover up the faulty construction of an apartment building that started to tilt, and another that says one of its units falsified reports on the quality of rubber used in trains and ships.
The admissions come after Toshiba Corp. admitted to artificially inflating profits for almost seven years, and Takata Corp. said it supplied faulty air bags, leading to the recall of more than 40 million vehicles.