Replace shock absorbers – Japan:

Japanese officials on Thursday ordered a company that falsified data on the quality of its earthquake shock absorbers to replace its products in hundreds of buildings, including a major tourist site and venues for the 2020 Olympics.

KYB Corp, a major producer of the shock absorbers, which reduce shaking of buildings during a quake, said on Tuesday that data related to the quality of its products and those made by a subsidiary, had been falsified since 2003, and possibly even since 2000.

Government officials said there was no risk that buildings would collapse as a result, even in a severe quake, but they were trying to determine how many structures were affected in one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

The company said at least 900 buildings around Japan had used products involved in the data falsification.

The operator of the Tokyo Skytree, a 634-metre high tower that is one of Japan’s biggest tourist attractions, said it had installed KYB products, while Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said the items had been used in at least seven buildings owned by the metropolitan government. (AP)