Japanese steel giant charged with ‘faking’

Japanese prosecutors have charged major steelmaker Kobe Steel with violating laws overseeing competition in a massive faking of product data.

Kobe, which has repeatedly apologised for the practice, said in a statement that it took the allegations seriously and was working to prevent a recurrence.

“We once again deeply apologise,” it said, without elaborating on specific charges. “The entire Kobe Steel Group is working together sincerely.”

The systematic misconduct spanned years, affecting products sent to more than 680 companies, including aluminium castings and copper tubes for cars, aircraft, appliances and trains. The scandal, which surfaced last year, has set off a class-action lawsuit and an investigation in the US. Kobe has said a zealous pursuit of profits, unrealistic targets and an insular corporate culture were behind the scandal. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the fake data.