Prosecutors indicted Kobe Steel Ltd. on Thursday on suspicion the firm violated a law that prevents unfair competition by fabricating data related to the quality of its products.
But they exempted four plant officials from prosecution, with investigative sources saying the officials were not fully aware of the violations when they altered data on product strength and other details, as the extent to which the steel-maker had continued the fabrication led to it being seen as customary.
Three of the company's plants in Tochigi, Yamaguchi and Mie prefectures sent about 300 certificates to clients between September 2016 and September 2017 attesting to the quality of products which in fact failed to meet clients' specifications, according to the indictment.