Toyota unit falsified emissions data from at least 2003, probe finds

Toyota owns 50.1% of Hino. Shares of Hino fell almost 10% on Tuesday. Picture: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara.

A major affiliate of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp falsified emissions data on some engines going back to at least 2003, more than a decade earlier than previously indicated, a company-sponsored probe showed on Tuesday.

The investigative committee tasked by truck and bus maker Hino Motors blamed the scandal on an environment where engineers did not feel able to challenge superiors, in a rare criticism of corporate culture in Japan.