November 02, 2024 – According to NHK reports, a subsidiary of Panasonic Holdings responsible for electronic components has engaged in misconduct such as tampering with data when registering component materials with certification authorities. A total of 93 instances of irregular operations have been confirmed. In response, top executives of the company will voluntarily return part of their compensation as a disciplinary measure.
The issue involves improper behavior by “Panasonic Industrial” – the submission of materials used in automobiles and home appliances to a US certification agency with tampered data to meet fireproof standards. An external expert investigation committee conducted a detailed investigation into the matter.
The investigation, released on November 1st, revealed that across 40 factories worldwide, Panasonic has been involved in 93 cases of data tampering or shipments of products that did not meet certification standards since the 1980s.
The investigation committee pointed out that the reasons for the misconduct lie in inadequate understanding of quality assurance among employees and management, insufficient communication within the internal quality department, and a failure to establish a culture of reporting violations.
Following the release of the investigation results, the company announced that Panasonic Holdings President Yuki Nami and Panasonic Industrial President Shinji Sakamoto would voluntarily return 50% of their basic monthly salary for four months.
At a press conference in Osaka, President Sakamoto of Panasonic Industrial stated, “We deeply feel that the insufficient understanding of quality assurance among management is the cause of the problem, and we will strive to improve the corporate atmosphere in the future.” He apologized for the incident.
Previously, in January of this year, Panasonic Industrial admitted to decades-long data falsification and irregular production practices when applying for product quality certification. The company’s representative apologized to the public at a press conference on the 12th of that month and indicated that they would accept a third-party investigation.
Some of the violations date back to the 1980s, involving seven factories in Japan and overseas. A total of 52 products were affected, and approximately 400 client companies were implicated.
