Two men have been arrested on suspicion of passing modified cars through vehicle inspections without testing them, police said. The pair are believed to have earned more than ¥100 million from the work.
The suspects, one of them identified as Yuko Tezuka, are accused of conspiring with others to create false safety compliance certificates for four vehicles requested between June and July without carrying out inspections, the Asahi Shimbun's ANN television partner reported.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Tezuka and the other man took orders from vehicle inspection agents and cleared modified cars without bringing them to a workshop. Tezuka is believed to have earned about ¥110 million over the 15 years from 2011.
Both men admitted the allegations during questioning, saying they did not want to crush young people who were illegally modifying their cars, according to the report.
Where the informal tolerance breaks down
Japan's vehicle inspection system, known as shaken, requires cars to be checked against safety and emissions standards at set intervals. A certificate of compliance is the document that allows a vehicle to be registered and driven.
Modified vehicles can pass shaken if the changes meet the standards, but cars that fail must be brought back into compliance before a certificate is issued. Skipping the check removes the step meant to catch brakes, lights and structural changes that make a car unsafe.