Mitsubishi Materials units falsified product

Subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Materials have falsified product data, the company said Thursday, becoming the latest major Japanese firm to admit problems with quality control.

Affected products included rubber sealing materials used for packing and gaskets, often used to prevent leaks of liquid or gas from pipes in a wide variety of industries including aerospace and automobiles, the company said in a statement.

The scandal also affected brass strip products for cars and other products, it said.

Mitsubishi Materials said its subsidiaries falsified specification data before shipping some of its products to clients.

It added the company is working with affected clients to ensure the safety of their products.

The admission came after Japanese consumers saw a series of quality control and governance lapses at major firms including Kobe Steel, Nissan and Subaru.

Kobe Steel has admitted falsifying strength and quality data for a string of products shipped to hundreds of clients, from automakers to plane manufacturers.

Nissan recalled some 1.2 million vehicles after admitting in October that staff without proper authorisation had conducted final inspections on some vehicles intended for the domestic market before they were shipped to dealers.

Subaru also recalled nearly 400,000 vehicles from its domestic market after admitting that it also allowed uncertified staff to conduct vehicle inspections.