Kobe Steel Ltd.'s chairman and president said Thursday that further cases of misconduct by the nation's third-largest steel maker may emerge as part of the burgeoning scandal over its falsification of inspection data for iron powder, aluminum and copper, which has already affected automakers and airplane manufacturers.

"There are suspicious cases in Japan and abroad" that could involve further wrongdoing, as the ongoing investigation has not been completed, Hiroya Kawasaki told reporters after meeting with a senior industry ministry official.

Kawasaki, who was making his first public appearance since the company unveiled data falsification on Sunday, said he will announce the results of the investigation on safety of the shipped products in two weeks and release countermeasures in one month.