Overconfidence in technology and the arrogance associated with it is behind the misconduct recently brought to light in Japan's manufacturing industry, an academic who formerly worked in the sector says.
"I think there was an attitude that made them believe it's OK to slack off a little because the quality of Japanese products is high," said Atsushi Osanai, a professor at the business school of Waseda University in Tokyo and a former Sony Corp. employee.
His remarks follow revelations that Mitsubishi Materials Corp. subsidiaries falsified data for products sold to over 200 firms for use in automobiles and aircraft in a scandal similar to the one at Japan's third-largest steel maker Kobe Steel Ltd. Nissan Motor Co. and Subaru Corp. have meanwhile admitted to letting final inspections be carried out by uncertified staff.