KYB faked earthquake-damper inspection data for 15 years — 70 buildings were affected

KYB Corporation (formerly Kayaba Industry) is Japan's largest manufacturer of shock absorbers and hydraulic equipment. Its earthquake dampers — devices installed in buildings to absorb seismic energy — are used in skyscrapers, government offices and critical infrastructure across Japan.

In October 2018, KYB disclosed that it had been falsifying quality and inspection data for some of its earthquake dampers since at least 2003. The falsified data made the devices appear to meet required performance standards when they did not. The practice had continued for approximately fifteen years.

The affected dampers were installed in over 70 government and municipal office buildings across Japan. Among the affected structures were Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Station and facilities built for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The buildings may have had substandard earthquake protection in a country where seismic safety is not optional.

Faulty Japanese-made quake absorbers had also been exported to Taiwan. Replacement work was expected to continue beyond the 2020 Games. The scandal was part of a broader pattern of manufacturing-data falsification in Japanese industry — Kobe Steel, Mitsubishi Materials and Subaru had all disclosed similar problems in the preceding two years.