TOKYO (Reuters) - Inappropriate inspection practices at Nissan Motor Co (T:7201) had been going for at least 20 years, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported on Friday, in a new revelation that could further roil Japan's second-biggest automaker.
Nissan said late on Thursday it was suspending domestic production of vehicles for the Japanese market for at least two weeks to address misconduct in its final inspection procedures, which it first revealed last month. The scandal has led to a recall of all 1.2 million cars it sold in Japan over the past three years.
A Nissan spokesman declined to directly confirm or deny the NHK report, referring to CEO Hiroto Saikawa's comments on Thursday, when he said Nissan's training system for certifying vehicle inspection staff had not changed for 20 years.
Saikawa added that that was a separate issue from how long the misconduct had been going on.