Japanese car makers under scrutiny following certification saga – report

The Japanese Government has announced it has begun a widespread investigation into self-certification across its domestic automotive industry.

According to local newspaper Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has begun the investigation to determine whether Japanese car companies have been complying with self-certification regulations.

The announcement comes less than six months after Toyota admitted to finding "inconsistencies" within its engine testing program, forcing the car giant to temporarily suspend production and shipments of some models.

It wasn't until the end of February 2024 authorities cleared Toyota and lifted the shipping halt.

Prior to those revelations, Toyota's small-car brand Daihatsu had been found to have cheated vehicle safety tests, while in 2022, Hino – Toyota's truck division – admitted to falsifying data on engine tests.

The scandals prompted rare public apologies from all levels of Toyota.

In light of these events, the Japanese Government has said it will look more closely into organisations, which are entrusted to perform certifications in-house, in an effort to weed out potential discrepancies.

It's also not the first time the industry has disregarded self-imposed rules. In the 1990s, Japanese car manufacturers came to what is now known as the 'gentlemen's agreement', which was designed to cap the power output of all cars to 206kW – an effort to stop the ever-growing performance war between rival brands.

However, while many vehicles were marketed as having 206kW, several models – such as the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra, and the Subaru Impreza WRX STI 22B – actually produced much higher power figures than was advertised.