A shocking development in the Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Dreamliner catastrophe: Japanese officials may have been lax in their safety tests of the plane. And U.S. regulators may have ignored suggestions from an important firm that works with the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to Reuters:

Japan’s government stepped in to give Boeing Co’s now-grounded 787 Dreamliner and its made-in-Japan technology a boost in 2008 by easing safety regulations, fast-tracking the rollout of the groundbreaking jet for Japan’s biggest airlines, according to records and participants in the process

And the Wall Street Journal reports:

Shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration issued safety rules in 2007 for using lithium-ion batteries on Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner jets, an industry standards-setting group called for stricter testing to prevent battery fires on aircraft.

Boeing and FAA officials decided that since design and testing of the plane was so far along, mandating the tougher standards would disrupt years of joint safety work and unfairly delay production of the cutting-edge Dreamliners, said people familiar with the details.

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