Why Japan keeps repeating the same corporate fraud scandals

Why Japan keeps repeating the same corporate fraud scandals Why Japan keeps repeating the same corporate fraud scandals

Tim Hornyak is a Tokyo-based journalist.

In March 2025, Toyota Motor subsidi Hino Motors pled guilty in the U.S. to a long-term fraud scheme under which it had faked engine emissions data going back to at least 2003. The Justice Department’s punishment was harsh: a $1.6 billion penalty and a five-year probation barring it from importing diesel engines.