Kobe Steel Ltd. has unleashed an industrial scandal that is reverberating across Asia's second-largest economy, stating that it falsified data related to the strength and durability of some aluminum and copper products used in aircraft, cars and maybe even a space rocket.
Customers including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Subaru Corp. said they had used materials from Kobe Steel that have now been acknowledged as subject to the falsification. But Boeing Co., which gets some parts from Subaru, said nothing to date raises any safety concerns.
Kobe Steel's admission renews concerns about the integrity of Japanese manufacturers, and follows Takata Corp. misleading automakers about the safety of its air bags as well as last week's recall of cars by Nissan Motor Co. after regulators discovered unauthorized inspectors had approved vehicle quality. Kobe Steel said on Sunday products subject to falsification were delivered to more than 200 companies, but didn't disclose customer names. The falsifications were intended to make the metals look as if they met client quality standards. Chief Executive Officer Hiroya Kawasaki is now leading a committee to probe quality issues.
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