日本第三大钢铁联合企业——神户制钢公司近日被曝出数据造假，殃及全国乃至全球范围的制造业公司。这令近年来已经受尽屈辱的日本制造业再次蒙羞。跌落神坛的日本制造业，是咎由自取还是外因所致？
The industrial scandal engulfing Kobe Steel began to reverberate overseas as it said its staff falsified data about the strength and durability of some aluminum and copper products used in planes, trains and potentially a space rocket, which are delivered to more than 200 companies.
神户制钢公司（下文简称为：神户钢铁）的工业丑闻开始于海外引起强烈反响。该公司称其员工伪造了铝制和铜制产品强度与耐久性的数据。这些产品被用在飞机、火车甚至火箭的制造上，并且销往了两百多家公司。
It also said it had found "inappropriate actions" relating to nine more products, including falsifying data.
神户钢铁还称他们发现了涉及另外九种产品的“不当行为”，其中包括伪造数据。
The exact extent of the problem remains unclear since Kobe Steel has not identified the customers affected. But it is a major supplier to many manufacturers, including railways, automakers, aircraft manufacturers, semiconductor factories and nuclear power plants.
由于神户钢铁方面尚未确定受影响的客户，因此该事件的具体影响范围还不得而知。神户钢铁是许多制造厂的主要供应商，包括铁路、汽车、飞机、半导体与核电厂。
图片来源：网易财经http://money.163.com/17/1015/20/D0QKHCEQ002580SM.html
亏名损实的神户钢铁
Shares in Kobe Steel fell by nearly 40% in two days, wiping more than $1.5bn (£1.1bn) off its market value after the firm’s admission of fabricating.
在神户钢铁承认数据造假后，其股价在两天内跌了近40%，市值蒸发超过超过15亿美元（约11亿英镑）。
图片来自：华尔街见闻https://wallstreetcn.com/articles/3034660
The cost to insure Kobe Steel debt against default soared as customers including Toyota, Honda and Subaru said they had used materials that were subject to falsification.
由于包括丰田，本田和斯巴鲁在内的客户称他们已经使用了造假材料，因而神户钢铁的债务违约的保险成本直线飙升。
Based on the assumption that 5 percent of the company's annual sales of aluminum products are nonconforming, JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. estimated it would cost from 10 billion to 15 billion yen for Kobe Steel to replace the entire volume with conforming products, according to a report by analyst Kazuhisa Mori.
分析师和久 森的报告称，假设该公司每年销售的铝产品中有百分之五为不合格产品，摩根大通证券日本分公司预计，神户钢铁全部将其替换成合格品要花费100到150亿日元。
However, the damage to the company -- in the form of both reputational harm or possible legal challenges-- could be much greater.
然而，受损的名誉和潜在的法律制裁将给神户钢铁带来更大的打击。
图片来源：网易财经http://money.163.com/17/1015/20/D0QKHCEQ002580SM.html
“牵一发而动全身”
Kobe Steel materials were used in Hitachi trains exported to the U.K.'s Agility Trains, according to Hitachi spokesman Masataka Morita. The trains havent started operation yet.
日本日立公司的发言人正隆 森田表示，日立公司出口到英国敏捷火车有限公司的火车使用了神户钢铁的材料，不过这些火车还未投入运行。
Materials were also used in East Japan Railway Co., Central Japan Railway Co. bullet trains in Japan, he said, adding that the trains were inspected after completion and there was no problems with their strength.
东日本旅客铁道公司和中日本旅客铁道公司的快速列车也使用了这些材料。他补充说列车生产完成后进行了检查，车体强度没有问题。
Subaru has produced training planes for Japan Self-Defense Forces and wings for Boeing jets such as the Boeing Dreamliner, according to a spokesman, who added the company was checking which planes and parts used affected aluminum.
斯巴鲁发言人说他们同时为日本自卫队生产训练飞机，同时为波音787梦幻客机等波音飞机生产机翼。他还说公司正在检查哪些飞机和零件使用了涉嫌伪造事件的铝产品。
"Nothing in our review to date leads us to conclude that this issue presents a safety concern, and we will continue to work diligently with our suppliers to complete our investigation," Boeing said in a separate statement.
波音公司发表单方声明称：“目前为止所完成的核实中，没有直接证据表明涉事产品会造成安全隐患，但是我们将继续努力协同供应商完成检查。”
Honda said it used falsified material from Kobe Steel in car doors and hoods while Mazda Motor Corp. confirmed it uses aluminum from the company.
本田汽车将神户钢铁的问题材料用于制造车门和引擎盖。马自达汽车公司也确认使用了神户钢铁的铝产品。
Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. all said they are checking whether their vehicles are affected.
铃木汽车公司和三菱汽车公司都说他们正在检查自己的车辆是否受到影响。
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries spokesman Genki Ono said Kobe Steel aluminum was used in the MRJ regional jet as well as the H-IIA rocket, which was launched by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Tuesday for a satellite.
三菱重工的发言人小野 都称三菱支线客机和H2A运载火箭的生产使用了神户钢铁的铝产品。而日本航空航天勘探局已于周二，将搭载了一颗人造卫星的H2A运载火箭发射升空。（该火箭将导航卫星“引路”3号送入预定轨道。）
“We perceive that there was no problem as the rocket launch was a success,” he said.“Checks are under way, but at this point no large effects have been found in the manufacture of the rocket or MRJ.”
“火箭的发射很顺利，并没有出现什么问题，”他说：“检查工作仍在进行中，但目前运载火箭和三菱支线客机的制造并未受到巨大影响。”
“落日”下的日本制造业
The scandal is one of several to have embroiled Japanese manufacturers in recent years, and has called the country’s reputation for quality control into question.
近年来日本制造业接连卷入了几起丑闻，这让日本质检的信誉遭受质疑。
Shinko Wire Co., a Kobe Steel affiliate, in 2016 said a unit had misstated data on the strength of stainless wires for springs and that it had supplied customers with alloy that failed to meet industrial standards.
新光电线有限公司是神户钢铁的一个子公司，它在2016年宣布，由于生产线上某一单元谎报了用于制作弹簧的不锈钢强度数据。同时，一批未能达到工业标准的合金已经供应到了客户手中。
In other product-related cases, Takata pleaded guilty in the U.S. in February to one count of wire fraud for misleading automakers about the safety of its air bags.
在其他与产品质量相关的案例中，安全气囊制造商高田公司于今年2月在美国承认了一项关于电信诈骗的指控，罪名是在气囊安全性能的问题上误导了汽车制造商。
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. officials were referred to prosecutors in March after the company's 2015 admission it falsified data on rubber for earthquake-proofing buildings.
2015年，日本轮胎制造大厂东洋橡胶工业曾经承认，在为抗震建筑生产使用的橡胶时伪造数据。今年三月，该公司的行政人员被移交检察官审理。
"With a string of negative surprises at Kobe Steel lately, we believe investors are likely to distrust management even more due to this latest incident, despite emerging signs of earnings improvement in the steel and construction machinery segments," JPMorgan's Mori wrote.
“随着一连串有关神户钢铁的负面消息曝光，我们认为尽管钢铁行业和建筑行业的机械部门出现了盈利改善的新迹象，投资者还是有可能因为最近的事件对公司的经营产生怀疑。”摩根大通公司的和久 森写道。
Kobe Steel has recorded net losses in the past two fiscal years, but Kawasaki said he did not believe the corner-cutting resulted from excess pressure from top management. He acknowledged the company may have to compensate some customers for any damages. "Naturally, we are prepared for it," he said.
神户制钢公司在过去的两个财政年度里的净亏损创下了新纪录，但神户钢铁的董事长兼社长川崎 博表示，他认为产品的偷工减料不是高管过度施压导致的。他承认公司可能要赔偿一些客户的损失。“当然，我们已经准备好了，”他说。
Martin Schulz from Fujitsu Research Institute said a focus on cost cutting has been one contributing factor to the corporate failures.
富士通研究所的马丁·舒尔兹指出，过度聚焦成本削减，是导致这家公司失败的重要原因。
He said an extreme focus on reducing costs over the past two decades has seen "management in many subsidiaries bettering their results beyond their means, while an increasing focus on profitability is stretching the limits of quality control".
他表示，在过去的二十年中，由于对削减成本的过分关注，“很多子公司的管理层在超出自己能力的范围提高他们的业绩，而对于盈利能力的日益关注正在拉低质量把控的底线。”
