JAPAN CAR SCANDAL

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 17

JAPAN CAR SCANDAL

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) TOKYO, June 18. Top Japanese transport officials from all parts of the country met today for an emergency review of a car defects scandal which the Government considers is causing social unrest. The Transport Ministry revealed on Monday that 2.4 m Japanese-made cars had been found defective in recent years. About 1.3 m of these were still on the roads with defective parts, but this did not mean that one in every 10 cars in Japan was dangerous, the Ministry said. The Ministry called together its most senior traffic administrators and announced immediate measures to tighten rules for new car models and to set up an inspection centre to strengthen supervision over car makers. Ministry officials said that the defects problem was assuming serious proportions as Japan had entered an age of high-speed highways. Japan’s motor industry is reeling under heavy criticism in the press and from the public for not announcing the defects earlier.

Japan’s 12 main car, truck and bus makers are involved. They started announcing detailed information about defective cars in newspaper advertisements.

Many of these are prefaced with expressions of sincere apologies for concern and anxiety that defective products have caused.

To clear up misunderstandings, dealers are using telephones and mail to contact their customers to bring back cars for inspection. The defects include deterioration of parts in the braking systems, carburettors and steering. The method of publicly announcing defective cars was adopted this month under heavy pressure and criticism in Japan after a New York newspaper report that Japanese and German manufacturers were , secretly recalling some defective models in America.

According to motor trade circles, defective cars were previously dealt with privately and often without the users knowing exactly what was happening. Some motorists are now in doubt as to whether their cars are among

those that have already undergone repair. Newspapers have called for immediate measures by the Government and the motor industry to prevent the public from losing confidence in what is one of the nation’s key industries. The leading financial daily, “Nihon Keizai,” commented that the disclosure of so many defective cars will once again bring to the fore the social responsibility of the entire Japanese car industry. A Transport Ministry spokesman said today the directors of the Ministry’s offices across the nation had been called to an extraordinary meeting because the de-

fects problem was now creating “social unrest.” Opposition party members are raising urgent questions in Parliamentary committees, and suggesting that an unruly sales war in the fast-ex-panding Japanese car market was responsible for the production of so many defective models.

Japanese Car makers have said that defects in their export cars were being dealt with in accordance with the rules of each importing country. In an apparent effort to calm anxiety, the Ministry of Transport said in a press release that 8 per cent of about 100,000 imported cars were found to have defective parts and that they included some top class world renowned European models. The Ministry said these defective cars had been promptly dealt with because they generally went to high income motorists who were easy to trace. Among new measures announced by the ministry is the introduction of a computer system to trace car users quickly if necessary. The Ministry’s technical staff is to be increased, rules for issuing type certifications for new models are being tightened, an automobile inspection centre is to be set up to strengthen supervision over car makers, and manufacturers are being asked to conduct more exhaustive endurance tests before issuing fresh models.