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Our reporter Zhu Yueying

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan recently announced that a total of 38 models of cars and related products from five companies, including Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha Motor, had engaged in fraudulent activities during the certification application process for mass production. The fraud incident has attracted widespread attention from Japanese public opinion. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan stated that it will conduct an in-depth investigation into the violations of the five companies in accordance with the Road Transport Vehicle Law, and will deal with them seriously in accordance with the law based on on-site inspections and related results. The five companies involved in the fraud incident need to provide detailed explanations to consumers.

The fraud incident of the five automakers was discovered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan when it was conducting a retrospective investigation after the fraud incidents of Hino Motors and Daihatsu Industries were exposed. In early June this year, in view of the continuous violations of Daihatsu Industries and other Japanese companies in the process of obtaining the model certification required for mass production of automobiles and engines, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan requested an investigation into 85 automobile production companies. The report shows that the five Japanese automakers involved were involved in collision data fraud, engine power test fraud, brake test data fraud, etc. Among them, Toyota Motor involved 7 models, Mazda Motor involved 5 models, Yamaha Engine involved 3 models, Honda Motor involved 22 models, and Suzuki Motor involved 1 model.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan believes that the violations of these automakers have damaged user trust and Japan's automobile certification system. At present, the agency has requested the suspension of shipments of three Toyota models, two Mazda models and one Yamaha motorcycle that have violated the regulations.

After the incident was exposed, Toyota Motor stated in a notice that the pedestrian safety test and occupant protection test data of some of its models were insufficient, and some older models used modified test vehicles in collision safety tests. Currently, Toyota has suspended the operation of two automobile production lines at the Ohira Plant in Miyagi Prefecture and the Iwate Plant. The annual production capacity of these two production lines is 130,000 vehicles, which is expected to affect more than 1,000 suppliers.

In recent years, Japanese manufacturing companies have frequently been exposed to violations and fraud, causing concerns in Japanese public opinion. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun pointed out in an editorial that in 2016, after Mitsubishi Motors was found to have tampered with fuel consumption data, the automakers should have conducted self-inspections in a timely manner. These automakers have failed the trust of consumers and stakeholders and should reflect deeply. In February last year, an investigation result released by Shimadzu Corporation, a century-old manufacturer of precision instruments, confirmed that its subsidiary Shimadzu Medical Systems Kyushu Branch deliberately caused the equipment to automatically "fail" after maintenance by secretly installing a power-off "timer" when inspecting and maintaining X-ray equipment, and then sold repair parts to users. In April this year, IHI, a well-known Japanese engine manufacturer, admitted that one of its subsidiaries had tampered with the fuel efficiency data of more than 4,000 engines since 2003.

Regarding the Japanese automaker's fraud incident, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said: "This has damaged the credibility of the Japanese auto industry and shaken the foundation of the auto certification system." Officials from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that this not only concerns the development of one company, but also the sustainable development of the entire auto industry.

(Tokyo News)

People's Daily (17th edition, July 23, 2024)