Mitsubishi Electric, a major electronics manufacturer, has revealed that there was a fraud in an inspection to check the performance of the air conditioning equipment it manufactures.
The fraud may have been going on for more than 30 years.
According to the company, when a factory in Nagasaki Prefecture, which manufactures air-conditioning equipment for railways, was repairing the product inspection system in June, an unnatural point was found in the inspection record.
As a result of detailed examination, it became clear that the inspection on safety and air-conditioning performance performed at the request of the customer contained fictitious data even though it was not actually performed.
According to people familiar with the matter, fraud may have been ongoing since the 1980s, and there is a suspicion that it was pretending to meet the standards required by customers, so the company began full-scale investigations such as interviews with employees. I did.
Regarding the safety of products that have already been shipped, the company states that "there is no problem because it meets the safety standards set by the company."
Mitsubishi Electric's railway air-conditioning equipment has a track record of being delivered to domestic railway companies as well as Western subways.
The company commented, "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and related parties."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato "I regret improper inspection"
At a press conference in the morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato explained that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry instructed Mitsubishi Electric to investigate the facts and causes, report the results, and listen to the situation at any time. did.
He added, "We are investigating details including whether there were any legal problems, but it is regrettable that inappropriate inspections have been carried out for many years. Confirmation of facts, investigation of causes, formulation of recurrence prevention measures The government will take appropriate measures, including the above, so that future measures can be taken appropriately. "
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry instructed prompt full elucidation
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry received a report from the company on the 25th of this month, so it will promptly clarify to the company whether inspection fraud extends not only to air conditioning equipment for railways but also to other products. I instructed.
After that, we requested that the detailed facts be disclosed, the cause of the fraud suspected for a long time be investigated, and the measures to prevent recurrence be thoroughly implemented.