At Toshiba, wrongdoers do not get the sack

Tokyo

COMPANIES like General Electric Co are known for zero-tolerance policies: Any wrongdoing results in immediate dismissal. Now Toshiba Corp, one of the icons of Japan Inc, is testing the other end of the scale.

President Masashi Muromachi said on Thursday the company had identified 30 more executives involved in an accounting scandal that spanned almost seven years and reduced reported profit by about US$1.3 billion. While Mr Muromachi said the wrong-doers will be "punished", they won't be dismissed. He also disclosed that two of the directors who stepped down in a board reshuffle remain on the payroll as advisers.