Police referred Kobe Steel Ltd. and four of its plant officials to prosecutors Tuesday over a scandal that involved fabricating data related to the quality of its products, investigative sources said.
The company and the officials from three of its domestic plants allegedly violated a law preventing unfair competition by systemically misrepresenting products that were used in the manufacture of cars, aircraft, space rockets and defense equipment.
The conduct by one of the country's leading steel-makers has rocked the domestic manufacturing industry while also triggering an investigation and class-action lawsuits overseas — including the United States where lawsuits were filed against Kobe Steel, its subsidiaries, and Toyota Motor Corp., which used the products in question.