190 electric buses in Osaka, Japan, all scrapped, minister furious at 'Made in China', netizens retort: "We're not taking the blame!"

According to reports from Kyodo News and The Daily News, Osaka Metro announced it has abandoned plans to put 190 EV buses into regular service due to recurring operational failures and unresolved safety hazards.

Ironically, right after news broke of the mass scrapping, Japan's Minister of Industry stepped forward, directing blame toward "Chinese-manufactured" vehicles. In fact, during preparations for the 2024 Osaka Expo, Japan had conducted an open tender for electric shuttle buses. At that time, a Chinese automaker successfully passed all technical reviews and safety tests, offered competitive pricing, and already had years of stable operations in the Japanese market—so much so that both sides were nearly finalizing the procurement contract.

However, upon learning about the deal, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intervened decisively. According to disclosures by Japanese media, in November 2022, then-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry reacted with outrage upon discovering that Chinese-made buses were being considered for the Expo project, immediately pushing for a supplier change. Japan’s stated justification was: “The Expo is Japan’s showcase—Japanese domestic technology must be demonstrated.”

But here’s the catch: at the time, Japan had no domestic manufacturer capable of producing EV buses at scale. So Japan’s solution? Find a company with "domestic certification." Enter EVMJ—a newly established firm with no core R&D capabilities or production lines, effectively operating under a "Made in China, branded as Japanese" model. It imported semi-finished products or components from Fujian and other regions in China, performed basic assembly in Japan, then slapped on a "Made in Japan" label.

This company once touted a 58,000-square-meter production base, claiming annual capacity of up to 1,600 units. Under the banner of “final assembly in Japan, domestically produced EVs,” it secured “domestic certification” from Japan’s Ministry of Industry. But once these buses hit the road, problems began surfacing one after another.

On September 1, 2025, an EV bus in downtown Osaka experienced a reported “steering wheel failure,” causing the vehicle to lose control and crash into the central median. In the same month, another small electric bus manufactured by Weichiteng suffered a steering failure while driving through Osaka city center, colliding with a central divider.

The issues went far beyond steering malfunctions. Some buses suddenly shut off while idling at traffic lights; others exhibited sluggish steering response; still others had been plagued by recurring faults since June, even after replacements failed to resolve the problems.

Subsequently, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted surprise inspections of vehicles supplied by EVMJ—and found that approximately 35% had defects. A broader, comprehensive inspection ultimately confirmed as many as 38 structural safety hazards across the fleet, including severe body shaking, brake hoses rupturing due to design flaws rubbing against the chassis, and broken axle support components. As a result, the ministry forced a recall of 85 buses, leading to the permanent withdrawal of all 190 buses from service.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865961291637891/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author