Kobe Steel 収容する／認めるs data 詐欺 went on nearly 5 １０年間s, CEO to やめる
By Yuka Obayashi
TOKYO, March 6 (Reuters) - Kobe Steel Ltd 認める on Tuesday its data 詐欺 has been going on nearly five １０年間s and also 明らかにする／漏らすd new 事例／患者s of cheating, 最高潮の場面ing the challenges 直面するing the 112-year-old company 苦境に陥るd in 同意／服従 失敗s and malfeasance.
Japan's third-biggest 鉄鋼業 said its CEO will step 負かす／撃墜する to take 責任／義務 for the 普及した data 詐欺 スキャンダル that （機の）カム to light last year, although 疑問s remain over its 法人組織の／企業の culture and the 可能性 of 未来 罰金s.
Kobe Steel, which 供給（する）s steel parts to 製造業者s of cars, 計画（する）s and trains around the world, 認める last year to 供給（する）ing 製品s with falsified specifications to about 500 顧客s, throwing 全世界の 供給（する） chains into 騒動.
The company, in 発表するing the results from a four-month-long 調査 by an 外部の 委員会, said it had also 設立する new 事例／患者s of impropriety, 広げるing the total of 影響する／感情d （弁護士の）依頼人s to 605, 含むing 222 顧客s overseas.
"I feel 激しい 責任／義務 as our data falsification has 原因（となる）d trouble to so many 顧客s," the 辞職するing CEO and chairman, Hiroya Kawasaki, told a news 会議／協議会.
"I've 申し込む／申し出d my 辞職 ... as I think 予防の 対策 should be done under a new 管理／経営," he said.
Kawasaki will leave his 地位，任命する on April 1, with his 後継者 to be decided soon by the board, the company said.
不適切な 活動／戦闘s were 普及した, and were carried out with the knowledge and 関与 of many, 含むing 管理／経営, the company said.
Kobe Steel also 発表するd the 辞職 of (n)役員／(a)執行力のある 副大統領 Akira Kaneko and 一時的な 支払う／賃金 削減（する）s for up to 80 パーセント of all 内部の directors and (n)役員／(a)執行力のある officers.
The 事例／患者 was one of the country's biggest 産業の スキャンダルs in 最近の memory, which 始める，決める off a 無分別な of malfeasance 発覚s by other Japanese heavyweights, hitting the country's 評判 for 製造業の excelle nce.
In the past several months, Mitsubishi 構成要素s Corp , Toray 産業s and Ube 産業s have also 認める to 製品 data 捏造／製作 while 自動車製造業者s Nissan モーター and Subaru Corp have 明らかにする／漏らすd incorrect final 査察 手続きs.
PROBLEMS LONG ENTRENCHED
Kobe Steel said the data cheating started at least as 早期に as the 1970s, based on 証言 from 多重の sources interviewed by the 外部の 調査 team.
The company mapped out さまざまな 予防の 対策, 含むing setting up an 外部の 委員会 to 監督する 質 問題／発行するs, but those familiar with the company say its problems are 堅固に守るd.
"What you see is a pattern, a culture," said Steven Bleistein, CEO of Tokyo-based consultancy Relansa. "Company culture is something that a leader creates, so the very least you have to do is to 除去する the leader and the people who were complicit, from the CEO downwards."
Kobe Steel has had a 一連の スキャンダルs in the last dozen years, 含むing taking part in 企て，努力，提案-船の索具 for a 橋（渡しをする） 事業／計画（する） in 2005, failing to 報告（する）／憶測 income to 税金 当局 in 2008, 2011 and 2013, and falsifying 放出／発行s data in 2006. 違法な political 基金ing to 候補者s in 地元の 選挙s in 2009 also 誘発するd the 辞職s of the then CEO and chairman.
The data 詐欺 スキャンダル, though, so far appears to have left Kobe Steel's 財政／金融s 無傷の. In February, the company 復帰させるd a 予測（する） for its first 年次の 利益（をあげる） in three years for the year ending March 31.
But the company is also を受けるing a U.S. 司法（官） Department 調査（する）, meaning it still 直面するs 合法的な and 財政上の 危険. A Japanese 政府-許可／制裁d 調印（する） of 質 has been 取り消すd on some of its 製品 同様に.
"There is a 未解決の 危険 for Kobe Steel as 顧客s at home or abroad may 取り消す their 契約s and take 合法的な 活動／戦闘s, and the U.S. 司法（官） Department may 捜し出す a 刑罰，罰則," said Makiko Yoshimura, director at S&P 全世界の 率ing Japan.
It is 不明瞭な how much a 司法（官） Department 罰金 would be. Last year, Japan's Takata Corp agreed to 罪を認める to 犯罪の 悪事を働くこと and 支払う／賃金 $1 billion to 解決する a U.S. 司法（官） 調査 into 決裂s of its 空気／公表する 捕らえる、獲得する inflators that were linked to more than 20 deaths 世界的な.
($1 = 106.1500 yen) ( 報告（する）／憶測ing by Yuka Obayashi; 付加 報告（する）／憶測ing by Chris Thomas and Indranil Sarkar in BENGALURU, Minami Funakoshi and Taiga Uranaka in TOKYO; 令状ing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Stephen Coates and Tom Hogue)
