Kobe Steel is the latest company to enter Japan's "corporate hall of shame" after admitting to falsifying inspection data. Have these scandals involving companies in various industries made you think twice about buying Japanese products?

Nah, although these scandals are bad, the general quality of most things produced in Japan are difficult to match

I'm with dcog. Quality here is pretty solid. I recently met up with a friend of mine who has been living in Australia for the past 10 years, and she said she always buys as much stuff as she can back home because she finds the quality better in Japan.

And this isn't a girl who is sold on 'Japan best everything'. She is very vocal politically and about her problems with Japan.

I don't have a lot of perspective on the matter, but I do notice when I go home that lots of my friends are using things that I would consider cheaply made compared to what I'm used to here.

In Japan it is difficult to buy lots of stuff not made in Japan, finished goods that is. So it is a moot question to an extent.

Kobe Steel is one thing, but reputations for quality of things from Japan would need more than this Kobe Steel scandal to diminish it.

Generally speaking my impression of the quality of products made in Japan is not in question. Even the Kobe Steel products may still be fine... we've only heard the quality was not as good as recorded but it could be the case that it is still well above an acceptable standard. That doesn't make their crime acceptable in the slightest though. Unfortunately what they did has dragged many other companies into investigations which needn't have been required. There does seem to be a push towards buying made in Japan products as Reckless mentioned but I have no problem with that... It's what happens in most countries... Domestic products are promoted before foreign. When I can I buy food products from my home country but back home most non food products available are cheaply made in third world countries and I often find myself wishing for a Japanese alternative.

Generally I find Japanese products of good quality, but recently I've felt things are sliding. The Takata airbag problems concerned me not just because it was the biggest recall in history and resulted in many deaths and injuries, but also because of how many Japanese I met who were completely convinced that it was just other countries out to attack Japan. Attitudes like that don't inspire confidence.

Notice the Chinese tourists in the electric stores. They go home with suitcases full of Japanese made stuff. They know they can make money selling them at home.

I drive a very reliable but rather old high end Japanese car. However, I've put off buying a new Japanese car due to the recent debacle.

The quality and strength of new cars may be down to better technology but the feeling of lightness doesn't reinforce confidence.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to drive new cars both foreign and Japanese and I would most likely buy a new foreign car based on handling and feelings of stability.

Like a Japanese politician who literally steps out of jail and tries to run for re-election, there will always be hometown people who support him or her, and we'll have people who support and claim Japanese products are the best despite it simply no longer being true (if it ever was). People will just close off this information from processing in their minds, and keep on buying Japanese regardless of the safety being questionable, and the price being far too high for the quality.

Falsifiers like these are free-riding parasites who undermine all the legitimate Japanese companies that excel in their fields.

There are no truly Japanese made products anymore. Most Japanese branded electronics and appliances are just a bunch of components manufactured in other parts of Asia and assembled and branded in Japan. Japanese machinery is very similar. Only a few of the major components are manufactured in Japan. Japanese made guitars are good quality on the outside, but are full of the same cheap Chinese electrics found in much cheaper guitars. Even most of the parts for Japanese cars are manufactured overseas and assembled in Japan.

These factors combined tell you that, many Japanese products are just a dressed storefront window. What is in the shop is completely different.

I have noticed over the years, not only a decline in quality of Japanese products, but less around.

All my electricals seem to be made in China or Taiwan these days. They are good quality.

I would not go out of my way to buy Japanese these days, and when in Japan I would avoid shopping as goods are overpriced in Japan.

@funkymofo

Agree.

inkochiOct. 16  12:35 pm JST

In Japan it is difficult to buy lots of stuff not made in Japan, finished goods that is. So it is a moot question to an extent.

This is such an excellent point, and really should be the focus of an entire article in its own right.

If Japanese products were superior or inferior, how would any of us know? Either we live in Japan, in which case our access to rival products from overseas is often limited, or we don't, in which case our access to Japanese products is limited to a couple core industries.

Never went out of my way to buy Japanese products except for one: when buying a car. I will only purchase a Toyota or Honda. Of course some might be a lemon but the chances of it are quite slim. If I'm paying thousands of dollars, it makes sense to try to lower my chances of getting a sub-par quality car.

Also, I know that these cars aren't 100% made in Japan.

It is the new normal -- all big companies can be assumed to be CHEATING ... just a matter of whether they re caught or not.

No, but the myth of Japanese peerlessness is nearing an end, and was always a bit too good to be true

I'm not too worried about Japanese consumer goods but you have to wonder about a company that would falsify certifications for materials that go into aircraft. A failure there could result in a tragedy. The leadership of these companies out to all be fired and stripped of their wealth.