中古車販売大手のビッグモーターで、車を故意にキズつけて損害保険会社に修理費用を水増し請求していた問題が浮上。
Employees of the Tokyo-based major used car dealer and repair factory chain had been ordered by their supervisors to pad car repair charges to receive bigger payouts from nonlife insurance firms.
※中古車＝used car/secondhand automobile
※pad=詰め物をする、水増しする➾inflate膨らませる
※payout（まとまった金額の）支払い（金）、配当金
※nonlife insurance company/insurer 損害保険会社
ゴルフボールを靴下に入れて車体をたたいてへこみを作ったり、ドライバーでひっかいて傷をつけるといった手口です。
In one case of improper practices, a factory worker intentionally hit a car with a sock containing a golf ball to dent it. In another case, a worker scratched a car body with a screwdriver, it said.
多くの従業員が上司の指示のもと、保険金詐欺に加担をしていたことになり、金融庁が報告書の提出を求めています。
Many employees have been engaged in automobile insurance fraud at the instruction of their supervisors.
※fraud 詐欺、詐欺行為 ➾insurance scam / fraudulent insurance claims
Japan‘s Financial Services Agency ordered Bigmotor Co. and seven nonlife insurers to submit reports on the matter.
この急成長した私企業では、厳しいノルマや降格の恐怖から盲目的に上司に従う歪んだ企業文化が生まれたと言われます。
The privately-held company, founded by Kaneshige in Yamaguchi prefecture in 1976, has grown to become one of the biggest used car dealer companies in Japan.
The report points out that there was "a twisted corporate culture" at the company, where employees blindly followed orders from their superiors for fear of being demoted.
Behind those improper practices were excessive sales quotas and frequent demotions that put pressure on employees, the report said.
※demote降格させる
※ノルマ＝quota（割り当て）
社長は知らなかったと謝罪して辞任。一年分の報酬を返納しました。
President Hiroyuki Kaneshige will step down and return all of his remuneration for a year.
また、ビッグモーターの店の前の街路樹が不自然に枯れている事が相次いで見つかり、会社は除草剤を使用したと認めました。
Roadside trees in front of numerous outlets of scandal-hit used car dealership chain were found to have withered unnaturally, local authorities across Japan said.
※街路樹：今回はroadside treeばかり。辞書にはstreet treeもあるが、streetは街中の道路を指す
※wither〔植物が〕しぼむ、しおれる、枯れる
There is emerging speculation that the company may have perceived the roadside trees as a detriment to their business, possibly by obstructing the visibility of the displayed used cars.
※detriment 損害、不利益、弊害
※obstruct 障害物でふさぐ、妨害する、遮る
Bigmotor Co. has admitted on its website that the death of roadside trees in front of outlets of the used-car dealer may have been due to the use of herbicides.
※herbicide 除草剤 herb＋cide
