Ayase City, Japan - June 15, 2024

Storyline:
Car dealers and consumers in Japan have voiced concerns over the widespread repercussions of the safety testing scandal involving the country's five major automakers -- Toyota, Honda Motor, Mazda, Yamaha Motor, and Suzuki Motor.

These carmakers have been implicated in fraudulent practices during their mass production certification applications.

The Ministry of Transport conducted on-site inspections at each company regarding misconduct in model certifications. Officials said the ministry would decide on administrative action based on the country's Road Transport Vehicle Law.

Ali Narita runs a used car dealership in the Japanese city of Ayase. He said the scandal has severely affected his business, with nearly 10 percent out of approximately 150 used cars in his store involved in the violations.

The predicament has left him no choice but to halt the sales of the affected cars.

Narita said that if sales continue to fall sharply, he, along with other used car dealerships in the country, would be caught in a business dilemma.

All five auto manufacturers have said that there are no safety concerns with the vehicles involved in the scandal. But the incident has sparked doubts among Japanese consumers who expressed concerns over the quality and safety of Japanese automobiles.

Last year, Daihatsu Motor was found to have falsified crash test results, sparking criticism of its parent company, Toyota Motor.

The issue dates back to 2016, starting with Mitsubishi Motors' falsifying fuel efficiency data. Since then, carmakers such as Nissan and Subaru have been reported for falsifying inspection data almost annually.

Shotlist:
Ayase City, Japan - June 15, 2024:
1. Base Auto car dealer building;
2. Various of used cars, employees;
3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ali Narita, president of Base Auto (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"Those who had planned to buy the vehicles involved have barely come to my store. We might sell other vehicles occasionally, but the overall sales are far from ideal. Compared with the situation three months ago, we're faced with a grim situation this month. [As of present], sales are down by 50 percent."
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4. Used cars
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5. Various of used cars;
6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Ali Narita, president of Base Auto:
"I think car dealers all over Japan, myself included, will find ourselves trapped in a predicament. If the vehicles involved can't be sold, no one knows what to do with the current inventory. Many people are troubled by this.";
7. Various of used cars;
8. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) consumer (no name given) (partially overlaid with shot 9):
"I'm a driver of a Toyota car. But I'm thinking about whether I should switch to another brand. I think this kind of thing may happen again, so it's necessary to review the whole car market."
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9. Used cars
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10. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) consumer (no name given):
"Japanese cars may become unmarketable, and the Japanese economy will deteriorate accordingly as a result. These will have an impact on my life. So I don't think this situation is good.";
Tokyo, Japan - Recent
11. Various of traffic.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]