TOKYO — Kobe Steel said on Tuesday that its top executive would resign, after a falsified data scandal that shook Japan Inc. and led other manufacturers to come clean about their broken pledges to meet top quality standards.

Kobe Steel disclosed that some of its executives had known about fake quality data for years — in at least one case for decades — and blamed a companywide focus on profitability and weak corporate governance. It also said more customers had bought the products in question than it had originally said, suggesting that the impact of the quality scandal could continue to ripple.

Hiroya Kawasaki, the steel maker’s chairman and chief executive, will step down at the beginning of next month, the company said on Tuesday. Akira Kaneko, executive vice president and head of the company’s aluminum and copper business, also plans to resign. Four more officials have been dismissed, the company said, while others will have their pay temporarily slashed.

“For over 112 years, since its founding, Kobe Steel has managed its business by valuing the trust of its customers, partners, shareholders and a number of other stakeholders,” Mr. Kawasaki said at a news conference. “The recent loss of such trust is truly regrettable.”