The government has instructed watchdog bodies to consider examining all certified Kobe Steel Ltd. plants as it steps up efforts to deal rigorously with the company's quality control scandal, the industry minister said Tuesday.
One of the Japanese Industrial Standards-approved bodies tasked with checking the quality of products has started reviewing operations at the Hatano plant of Kobelco & Materials Copper Tube Co., a subsidiary of Japan's third-largest steel maker.
"(We) will keep an eye on the result of the review," Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko said at a news conference, referring to the plant located in Kanagawa Prefecture.