Defense Ministry Suspends Kawasaki Heavy from Bidding

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry said Friday that it has decided to suspend Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. from bidding on its projects for two and a half months until March 11, citing data falsifications. According to the ministry, Kawasaki Heavy falsified data on the fuel efficiency of submarine engines it manufactured between 1988 and 20211 for the Maritime Self-Defense Force. All 24 submarines currently held by the MSDF are equipped with Kawasaki Heavy engines, and 23 of them, excluding the one delivered most recently, have engines affected by the data falsifications. The company is said to have manipulated data to meet the ministry’s requirements in the trial of assembled engines. The ministry said that the data falsifications did not affect the safety or performance of MSDF submarines. The suspension period was reduced by half to two and a half months after the company voluntarily reported the falsifications. In August 2024, falsifications of fuel efficiency data for engines for private-sector ships were found at the company. The ministry then inspected the company’s Kobe plant in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. In June this year, a special investigation commission of external lawyers found possible similar data falsifications for engines for MSDF submarines. The company reported this to the ministry in August. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]