Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said Tuesday it has newly found 11 more fatalities that should have been reported to the health ministry over possible links to supplement products containing its beni kо̄ji red fermented rice.
The 11 cases had been classified into a wrong category in the process of sorting out the inquiries made to its call center, the company said, explaining the reason for failing to report them properly.
There was a flaw in the firm's system to confirm damage reports, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Satoshi Yamane said in an online news conference. "We sincerely apologize for this," he said.
It was later confirmed that five of the 11 victims did not take the supplements in question, according to the company, based in the city of Osaka.
The remaining six cases, however, will be investigated as their possible links with the intake of the supplements cannot be ruled out, the company said.
Following the revelation in late March of the health hazards caused by the supplements, the company initially said that the number of deaths suspected to be related to consumption of the supplements was five. In late June, 76 more suspected cases were found after the company counted fatal cases stemming from causes other than kidney disease.
After more investigations, the figure for suspected cases has reached 116, including those newly announced Tuesday, according to the company.