Japan’s auto testing scandal accelerates: 5 things to know

TOKYO — A safety test scandal in Japan’s automotive industry accelerated this week, with Toyota Motor, Mazda Motor and three other major companies disclosing widespread misconduct in the gathering of data used to apply for model certification.

That comes after the nation’s transport ministry ordered 85 companies in the sector — including both car and equipment makers — to investigate whether there had been any such irregularities following the previous discovery of problems at Daihatsu Motor and Toyota Industries.