Scandal Upon Scandal: What On Earth Is Going Wrong in Japan?

One regards America for its sense of accomplishment and an adventurous streak in any endeavour it undertakes. It is easy to say in awe of China for reaching tectonic corporate highs. Israel is regarded for a booming start-up scene, especially a bustling tech culture. Japan is regarded as much for its utter dominance in the automobile sphere as it is revered for its widely-regarded cultural landscape.

But at the same time, Japan has also caught the wrong end of the spectrum where making worldwide news is concerned. Especially where the last two years stand, not everything has been all that cheery about Japan. 

Regarded as one of Asia’s ruling powerhouse economies, Japan’s corporate culture has been stifled with an endless tirade of misgovernance and corporate scandals.  

As if the widely-reported Toshiba debacle, whose accounting and nuclear power businesses were as a result, affected, wasn’t enough, there came about eye-popping revelations from the Kobe Steel Group. 

In accepting its falsifying of data about products sold to big brands like Boeing and Toyota, the latter being Japan’s leading ray of hope in the wider world, the land of the rising sun, it could be said, has been essayed by bleak shadows.

But Japan’s woes don’t end here. Adding to the long list of corporate scandals and avoidable absurdities, is another scandal: a deliberate brand-new mishap.

It is now no longer a secret with public domain substantiating varied news articles about the latest scandal emanating from Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials that has owned up to having falsifying data on not one but multiple products- including components that are used in cars as well as airplanes. 

Not one but two of Mitsubishi Materials’ companies faked important data only to meet clients’ requirements. In fudging details of metal products for close to an year, Mitsubishi Shindoh admitted to having fudged useful data. Similarly, Mitsubishi Cable Industries is said to be responsible for sharing false, misrepresented data for as many as 230 customers.

What on earth, one wonders, is going wrong with a country widely respected for maintaining rich decorum, and utmost business integrity? Usually regarded for its manufacturing prowess, Japan, it can be clearly seen, is biting the wrong bullet of late.

Immediate blame seems to rest with poor and in most cases, absolute shoddy levels of oversight by those in positions of great authority at varied Japanese businesses. That said, the harsh, cold 2017’s reality fails to even present anything close to a mirror image of the vibrant and upbeat 70s, when Japanese precision, caliber and consistency to manufacture and innovate afforded it worldwide fans, regardless of where they were.