Dated practice bane of Japan manufacturing

The reputation of "Made in Japan" products is at stake after a string of data-tampering scandals surrounding Kobe Steel, Nissan, Mitsubishi and other Japanese companies have come to light. The plight of Japanese manufacturers could worsen as the executives of some scandal-tainted companies have been equivocating over their misconducts.

In fact, Japan's manufacturing sector risks collapse if the Japanese companies, long known for their obsession with quality and craftsmanship, can no longer be trusted.

That the Japanese media and people did not go easy on these "cheating" conglomerates - Kobe Steel has scrapped its financial forecast in the wake of the scandal - is proof that public supervision still works. But the erosion of "Japanese perfectionism" did not happen overnight and the lessons could have been heeded a lot earlier.