There have been more than 100 cases in which steel materials falsely designated as Japanese-made have been marketed in China or elsewhere, according to investigations by major Japanese steel manufacturers.
The latest findings show that counterfeits sold as Japanese products are rife not only in the automobile and electrical appliances markets, but in the sale of steel and other raw materials. Domestic steelmakers will redouble their efforts to prevent the production and sale of products falsely labeled as Japanese-made, company officials said.
In many cases, wholesalers are believed to be fabricating warranty documents to be attached to products by steelmakers, disguising them as Japan-made steel. These wholesalers can then sell locally made cheap steel to construction firms and other companies at higher prices. As steel for automobiles is sold directly to companies, any instances of counterfeiting have yet to be uncovered.
JFE Steel Corp., one of Japan’s major makers, has discovered construction steel disguised as its brand in China and Southeast Asia since around 2012. In the Middle East as well, the company discovered counterfeit steel for oilfield pipes.
The nation’s largest steelmaker, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., reportedly has encountered similar cases in China and other countries. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has been receiving complaints related to these cases for two to three years.
These counterfeits are low-quality products that could cause accidents such as fractures, and products genuinely made in Japan could considered unreliable as a result.
Therefore, Nippon Steel asked for Chinese authorities’ cooperation, and the Chinese side took countermeasures such as confiscating dishonest dealers’ fake products and revoking their business licenses. JFE Steel moved swiftly to search for counterfeits and issued a warning to customers via sales offices overseas.
Source: The Japan News
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