Japan ministry to order Bigmotor to halt 34 vehicle maintenance shops

Japan’s transport ministry said Friday it plans to order major used car dealer Bigmotor Co. to halt operations of one-fourth of its vehicle maintenance outlets over suspected improper provision of services as investigations continue into insurance fraud cases.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism inspected 34 locations in July based on a report by outside lawyers that said the company intentionally damaged vehicles to inflate repair fees, and confirmed legal violations at all of the outlets.

The violations included charging excessive repair fees, skipping car inspection ...