Kobe Steel Ltd. said Sunday inspection data was fabricated on some of its aluminum and copper products shipped to about 200 companies and the systematic misconduct started 10 years ago at factories.
While Kobe Steel did not disclose the names of the companies affected, aluminum products supplied with fabricated data were found to have been used in vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Regional Jet passenger planes, which are currently being developed by a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Kobe Steel said inspection data, such as on the strength of the products, were rewritten when customer specifications were not met.