英语新闻丨Supplements' quality scandals dampen trust

Recent quality scandals involving Japanese pharmaceutical companies have raised concerns among many Chinese tourists and business travelers who say such incidents may erode their trust in Japanese drugs and health products.

最近涉及日本制药公司的质量丑闻引起了许多中国游客和商务旅行者的担忧，因为这类事件可能会削弱他们对日本药品和保健品的信任。

Li Xiang, a 42-year-old visitor from Shanghai on a business trip in Tokyo, expressed surprise upon learning about kidney disorders linked to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's dietary supplements containing red yeast rice and Kyokuto's manipulation of test records for the gastrointestinal medicine Seirogan. He noted that Japanese products have long been trusted.

42岁的上海游客李翔在东京出差时，得知小林制药含有红曲米的膳食补充剂与肾脏疾病有关，以及京东公司篡改胃肠药物正露丸的检测记录后，他表示惊讶。他指出，日本产品长期以来一直受到信任。

"I'm not entirely surprised. We've seen in the news that in Japan, the older generation is still very dedicated and follows rules diligently, but it seems like the younger generation has changed somewhat," Li said.

“但我并不完全感到惊讶。可以在新闻中看到，日本的老一代仍然非常敬业，勤奋地遵守规则，但似乎年轻一代已经有所改变。”

"When I buy health products or medicines in Japan, I feel a bit worried that the quality of the products may not be as guaranteed as people imagine."

“当我在日本购买保健品或药品时，我有点担心产品的质量可能不像人们想象的那样有保证。”

Before making a purchase, Li does a lot of research, searching for information online and relying on recommendations from friends, so as to ensure the product meets the standards that make him feel comfortable.

在购买之前，李翔做了大量的研究，在网上搜索信息，并依靠朋友的推荐，以确保产品符合让他感到舒适的标准。

Zhao Zhijie, a 60-year-old tourist from Shanghai, also usually buys medicine based on recommendations from friends.

60岁的上海游客赵志杰也经常根据朋友的推荐买药。

"The scandals involving Japanese pharmaceutical companies will affect my confidence in their products," she said in front of a drugstore in Tokyo's Shibuya district on Saturday.

5月4日，她在东京涩谷区的一家药店前表示：“涉及日本制药公司的丑闻将影响我对他们产品的信心，” 

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that as of May 1, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had reported 270 hospitalized patients due to the development of kidney diseases and other issues after taking its dietary supplements containing red yeast rice, or beni-koji.

日本厚生劳动省宣布，截至5月1日，小林制药报告了270名住院患者，他们在服用含有红曲米的膳食补充剂后，出现了肾脏疾病和其他问题。

The Osaka-based drugmaker also reported five deaths linked to such products. Three supplement brands of the company were recalled due to safety concerns.

这家总部位于大阪的制药商还报告了5起与此类产品有关的死亡事件。出于安全考虑，该公司召回了三个补充剂品牌。

Furthermore, Toyama Prefecture recently issued a business suspension order to pharmaceutical company Kyokuto in Toyama city. Manufacturing has halted for 23 days starting from April 30, while sale is suspended for 22 days.

此外，富山县最近对富山市的制药公司京东下达了暂停营业的命令。从4月30日开始，制药暂停23天，销售暂停22天。

The company was found to have falsified test records for Seirogan, making it look like it met approval standards before shipping.

该公司被发现伪造了正露丸的测试记录，使其在发货前看起来达到了批准标准。

This revelation has deeply concerned Toyama prefectural authorities, prompting disbelief and shock among industry insiders.

这一发现引起了富山县当局的深切关注，引发了业内人士的怀疑和震惊。

The deficiencies came to light during a spot inspection conducted by the prefecture in July and August 2022. Consequently, Kyokuto voluntarily recalled 5.16 million units of the affected Seirogan from pharmacies nationwide.

这些缺陷是在2022年7月和8月由该县进行的一次现场检查中发现的。因此，京东公司主动从全国药店召回了516万份有问题的世罗根。

Kyokuto said an internal investigation discovered falsification of test results, failure to conduct acceptance tests for raw materials, and falsification of manufacturing records during the period from December 2021 to July 2022.

京东公司表示，在内部调查中发现，在2021年12月至2022年7月期间，公司伪造了检测结果、未对原材料进行验收测试、伪造了生产记录。

Lack of awareness

The company attributed the causes of the violations in this instance to a lack of compliance awareness among employees and deficiencies in its compliance framework.

该公司将此次违规的原因归咎于员工缺乏合规意识和合规框架的缺陷。

"Through our investigation, it became apparent that a corporate culture prioritizing the continuation of manufacturing and shipment over compliance with laws and procedures contributed to the aforementioned violations," said Kyokuto in a news release issued on April 26.

京东公司在4月26日发布的一份新闻稿中表示:“通过我们的调查，很明显，一种将继续生产和发货置于遵守法律和程序之上的企业文化导致了上述违规行为。”

Concerns about fraudulent manufacturing of pharmaceuticals have been raised nationwide. Including this incident, five companies in Toyama Prefecture, renowned for its pharmaceutical sector in Japan, have received administrative penalties involving business suspension orders over the past three years, public broadcaster NHK reported.

对药品造假的担忧已经在日本全国范围内上升。据日本放送协会报道，在过去三年中，包括此次事件在内，富山县有五家公司受到了包括停业令在内的行政处罚。富山县以制药业闻名于世。

Consumers like Li anticipate proactive measures from Japanese companies to address these issues.

像李翔这样的消费者期待日本公司采取积极措施来解决这些问题。

Kyokuto has announced its commitment to investigating the root causes of the problem and implementing measures to prevent recurrence. Nevertheless, despite these efforts, restoring consumer trust remains a formidable challenge.

京东公司已经宣布，将致力于调查问题的根本原因，并采取措施防止再次发生。然而，尽管做出了这些努力，恢复消费者信任仍然是一项艰巨的挑战。

"Once a company loses the trust of consumers, it's very difficult to regain it. Now, in the age of the internet, negative news spreads quickly," Li said. "For me, if a company encounters such problems, I won't trust it anymore and won't consider buying its products again."

“一家公司一旦失去了消费者的信任，就很难重新获得信任。在互联网时代，负面新闻传播得很快。对我来说，如果一家公司遇到这样的问题，我就不会再相信它了，也不会再考虑购买它的产品。”

Scandal

丑闻；耻辱

Erode

腐蚀，侵蚀