The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency announced on the 21st that a joint venture of four companies, led by Tekken Corporation, had falsified concrete quality control tests on three occasions during construction of the Futatsumori Tunnel on the Hokkaido Shinkansen Sapporo extension route. According to the agency, a JV employee manipulated measuring equipment during a test to measure moisture content in concrete, adjusting the results to fall within standard values. The misconduct was discovered during an on-site inspection on June 12, and subsequent investigations revealed similar falsifications in early December last year and early February this year. The agency is investigating whether there are any issues with the strength of the concrete already placed, and says the impact on the opening date is unclear. Inspections of all other contracted works outside this tunnel confirmed no similar misconduct. On the same day, Tekken Corporation apologized, calling it a serious incident that undermines the reliability of quality control tests, and stated it will work to determine the cause and prevent recurrence.
Tekken CorporationTekken Corporation's joint venture falsified concrete quality tests, leading to regulatory investigation and reputational damage.