Officials investigate Boeing 787 battery maker

OSAKA - US and Japanese officials began an inspection visit of GS Yuasa Corp., the company that makes batteries used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, on Monday, following an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport of a Boeing 787 exposed a battery fire risk last week, local press reported.

The visit by representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism comes at a time when concerns over the battery system of the Boeing 787 are rising, according to the daily Mainichi Simbun.

Police officers investigate the All Nippon Airways' (ANA) Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane, which made an emergency landing on last Wednesday, at Takamatsu airport in Takamatsu, western Japan, Jan 18, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

The report said the members arrived Monday morning at the company's headquarters in Kyoto City, western Japan, and entered the building to begin their inspection of the battery manufacturing process while obtaining more detailed information from some members of the company.

Earlier reports cited the officials at All Nippon Airways (ANA) as saying that the main battery taken from the ANA 787 plane which landed at Takamatsu was swollen, and had leaked electrolyte, and investigators also found burn marks around the battery.

But the Kyoto-based maker that supplies all the lithium ion batteries for the 787 has not issued any comment as the investigation is still ongoing.

Their inspection programs in Kyoto are expected to last for days.