Recent revelations about the mislabeling of foods and the use of illegal food additives by Japanese companies suggest a collapse of corporate ethics. The latest incident -- mislabeling of chicken by Zen-Noh Chicken Foods, an affiliate of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations -- has led to the arrests of several executives.
Earlier, following the outbreak of mad cow disease, Snow Brand Foods was found to have used false labels on beef packs. More recently, Kyowa Perfumery and Chemical was accused of using food additives not authorized by law. Other similar irregularities have also come to light.
The bubble economy produced many greedy speculators, causing mammonism to prevail even among good citizens. Once the bubble burst and the economy entered the so-called lost decade, hardship began to dull the conscience and ethical sense of many such Japanese. The recent spate of corporate scandals must be viewed against this backdrop.