Japan's KYB says products in 28 buildings failed to meet quality standards (updated)
19/10/2018 09:06
(Writes through)
TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japan's KYB Corp, a maker of shock
absorbers including those used in buildings to reduce shaking
during earthquakes, announced on Friday that at least 70
buildings may have used its products that failed to meet quality
standards.
The company said this week it had falsified data on the
quality of some of its earthquake shock absorbers since at least
2003 in one of the world's most quake-prone nations.
KBY released an initial list of buildings that may have used
the products that might not have met safety standards, including
government buildings such as the main Ministry of Finance
building in Tokyo and several other central government
structures.
Media has reported that other buildings, including Tokyo's
main train station as well as a major tourist site, may also
have used the products.
KYB officials, who bowed at the start of a news conference,
said they had confirmed that 28 buildings had failed to meet
government or customer standards and that nearly 1,000 may have
been affected.
The list of 70 suspected buildings included the government
building housing the transport ministry, where the news
conference was being held.
The KYB officials added that they were hurrying to make
further confirmations.
A spokesman for the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
said on Thursday they had been told by the Tokyo government that
KYB products were used at several venues for the Games, but did
not identify them or give any other details.
The news follows a series of compliance scandals involving
Japanese companies that have come to light in the past few
years, shaking confidence in the country's manufacturing
prowess.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, writing by Elaine Lies
Editing by Robert Birsel)
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