Masaki Sakuyama (Masaki Sakuyama)

Masaki Sakuyama (Masaki Sakuyama)

Biography

2021: Resignation from the post of head of Mitsubishi Electric after the forgery scandal

On October 1, 2021, the chairman of the board of directors and the de facto head of Mitsubishi Electric, Masaki Sakuyama, resigned after a series of scandals related to quality control, as he assumes responsibility for the actions of the president of the company from 2014 to 2018.

The commission also stated that Mitsubishi Electric employees involved in the scandal were not aware of the need to ensure quality through proper procedures, and called on a major electronics manufacturer to improve its culture. Masaki Sakuyama also resigned as vice chairman of the Japan Business Federation, the country's most influential business lobby, known as Keidanren.

The biggest problem of our company is the gap between management and those who work in factories. I felt responsible as the chairman of the board of directors responsible for oversight, "Masaki Sakuyama told a press briefing after the report was published.

Earlier, Mitsubishi Electric stated that employees of its plant in Nagasaki Prefecture in the southwest Japan did not carry out quality checks as required for products such as train air conditioners and air compressors. It is believed that the fraud during inspections took place for more than 30 years. The Group of Experts, including lawyers and professors, stated that computer programs were used to automatically obtain the results of the air conditioning inspection. A separate plant in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, used parts for electromagnetic switchgears that are different from those registered with the safety certification body in, the USA commission said in a report.

The publication of the investigation report followed Takeshi Sugiyama's replacement as president and CEO in July 2021. The largest Japanese railway operators, East Japan Railway, West Japan Railway and Central Japan Railway, are among the customers of Mitsubishi Electric.

The Japanese electronics maker said it will strive to create a corporate culture in which employees feel they can consult with bosses and which is tolerant of failures, and also promotes collaboration to solve problems by sharing information.

By April 2022, Mitsubishi Electric will invite the company's chief quality specialist to lead efforts to ensure compliance and raise employee awareness of product quality.^[1]

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