Japanese media criticize Toyota chief for slow response

It smells like something has really hit the fan! Should be some good deals on new Toyotas next year. :-D

It's only after international news organizations began asking pointed questions and forced the issue to light that the local Japanese media shed their deference and timidity. Such mamma's boys and girls.

Better late than never to the party.

Asked if he should have acted more quickly, Toyoda replied in hesitant English: “I will do my best.”

Did he not understand the question, or was he not even listening? That's the attitude that got them into this hole in the first place.

"No sense of crisis was apparent in Japan outside of media and government circles"

Let's all remember that the next time as many as 19 Japanese nationals are killed in defective products made by a foreign company. Absolutely stunning ! One really has to wonder what has happened to Japan and it's citizens. I am so disappointed- and the wife ? Simply happy to be living in the USA !

National media wakes up after International Media outcry over the issue!

A little insight into the overall Japanese malaise:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704533204575047370633234414.html

The problem with Mr. Toyoda is that he is seen as the "magic bullet" all hopes rely on, after Watanabe's expansion madness had put Toyota into the red.

If Toyoda would have to take responsibility and step down, he as a member family member of the founding Toyoda clan, that shame would never go away.

It would ultimately taint the name of the Toyoda clan, what they wanted to prevent in the first place as they decided to name the company a little different.

The company name is spelled and pronounced differently from the founding family name because Toyota was considered to have a luckier number of brush strokes when written in Japanese.

so it is Japanese Kanji fiasco...no more lucky in 21st century? On the contrary i would rather blame to use of Roman letters and Katakana while writing this company's name.

Let's all remember that the next time as many as 19 Japanese nationals are killed in defective products made by a foreign company.

As we have seen with Mitsubishi FUSO, ONE dead Japanese is enough to trigger that outcry.

Moderator: Stay on topic please. The subject is Toyota.

Moderator: Stay on topic please. The subject is Toyota.

The point I am making is that there is no outcry in the public as there are no Japanese customers been killed yet and without that public pressure especially Toyota (and Japanese companies in general) remains reluctant to admit to faulty products as the shame and embarrassment in a nation obsessed with craftsmanship and quality makes that very difficult.

The ongoing PR disaster shows to me how smug and unprepared the company is for a product crisis and how embarrassed it must be. Another factor is that especially in Japan an employees identity is that of their company's image, and loyalty to the firm trumps concerns about consumers.

A report on the BBC Worldservice yesterday (Friday) was decrying Toyota's tactics, but whether this will have long term effects is uncertain.

Mass tort lawyers are circling Toyota owners like hungry vultures. Billion dollar lawsuits are just around the corner. This is a massive wake-up call for all car manufacturers. Attention Toyota owners please don't drive behind me.

Japanese companies' PR people should now have learned that you sometimes have to upset the 'wa' and do and say things directly. If it embarrasses anybody personally or temporarily tarnishes the company name, too bad-- lives are at stake. Deaths occurred because of Toyota's reluctance to be open and forthright and issue recalls far earlier than they did.

BBC Worldservice yesterday (Friday) was decrying Toyota's tactics, but whether this will have long term effects is uncertain.

It could. The BBC's 500 or so listeners have friends and family they can talk to about Toyota's problems of late. Bad news travels fast.

Lucky I have no new Toyota vehicle,all more than 5 years old ,so I am out of trouble. Waiting for a very attractive discount from Toyota soon, maybe next year?

Did he not understand the question, or was he not even listening? That's the attitude that got them into this hole in the first place.

I'm sure he was listening and understood the question perfectly; his answer was merely a direct translation of what he would have said in Japanese.

Other examples of Japanese answering tactics include:

Q When will you finish the report? A It is difficult.

Q Why are you late? A Excuse me.

Q When will you apologise to the customer? A It is regrettable.

Q What time is it? A Well.

Q Are you available this week? A Excuse me.

Question for those living in Japan : How much press coverage was there before Toyoda's press conference today? I read here in the States that the coverage was minimal. Reason : newspapers did not want to offend Toyota because it was an important client for advertising in their papers. WSJ cited this. It appears once the news conference ended, the media pulled all the stops out.

That's part of the reason kp123. There is no media in Japan, just talking heads regurgitating whatever someone in a higher position tells them to.

I was talking to a friend today who works for Nissan. He said Toyota's way of thinking and management structure is quite different than other auto companies. According to him, and he is in upper management so fairly credible as a source I believe, Toyoda the C.E.O. is like the Emperor, the figurehead. His "underlings" are the ones who truly hold the power at Toyota. They would be the IHC, always telling what the C.E.O. should do.

My friend also said it's quite possible Toyoda did not fully understand what's been happening in the States as lots of info may have been kept from him.

Toyota and other Japanese companies like to turn up their noses to foreigner complaints in Japan. Unfortunately, for them they are not playing on home turf. They will get slapped silly by the media, industry and possibly the government with that attitude. Bring on the mob!

Question for those living in Japan : How much press coverage was there before Toyoda's press conference today?

quite a lot BUT it was all about billions and trillion of profits Toyota was generating....further expecting to reach sales target of 10million units !!!

It was interesting to see that his bow on Japanese TV wasn't as deep as those from other Company Exec's in similar circumstances. It just seemed the normal greeting type of bow. ( Bowing & Groveling in Japanese Society is the norm ). Perhaps becaue the problems (in the majority) only effected foreigners using his cars built overseas ... ?

For Kp123-

"How much press coverage was there before Toyoda's press conference today? I read here in the States that the coverage was minimal."

I'm not sure what you are reading or what part of the US you are talking about, but here out west this story is being covered extensively 24/7. I've also seen continuos reports from the big three networks (ABC,CBS,NBC)as well as cable. Every respectable news agency on the internet has also covering this story from day one. Remember- it is the "US media" that has broken this story wide open. It started with the death of the off duty police officer and his family in San Diego. Local news affiliates refused to let the story die, doing further investigations and eventually notifying the major news outlets of their findings. The American print media has in no way whatsoever tried to limit this story due to concerns over advertising dollars- on the contrary, news like this- "Foreign company, market leader, deaths of Americans, no response" Sells papers bigtime ! Toyota knows this- and just last weekend they took out full page adverts nationwide as damage control. Sorry, but the WSJ is wrong- and it wouldn't be the first time.

Glad that the Toyota recall happened because it is showing the ugly side of prejudice toward a foreign company in the States whether it is the media or people who dislike Toyota for various reasons. When a few Americans are saying the CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, should commit seppuku it's dishearten to read comments like that. Also, comments like if you drive a Toyota then get off the road or don't follow me on the road comments made by some people makes me think they are prejudice and/or racist. The Toyota recall is no different than someone who is inattentive while driving or on their cellphone. People really are uneducated and ignorant in these modern times. The American media are living off Toyota's poor PR and recall 24/7. They are going at Toyota like there has never been a recall in the auto industry. The reports made by some media companies whether it is online, print, or TV/cable shows are spreading fear and hate on Toyota and their cars. Toyota as a company is no different than Sprint and my landlord or any company in the world. The lack of respect and customer services have gone down hill over the years. I don't believe or trust the media they are in it for the money. Toyota in the States have a website where people can get information about the recall and what to do if people experience the sticking gas pedal. Here is the Toyota website http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/default.aspx. Also, here is a website for USA recall on all cars http://www.autorecalls.us/

I feel the media is spending too much time on Toyota like the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War because for weeks and weeks the media in the States were only talking about it to death then out of the blue no one is reporting it in big print. The media in the States is all in it for the money and their articles are subjective instead of objective when it comes to repoting. They are no different than Toyota or GM. Reporting without being accountable for their words in print. What happened to fair and balance journalism reporting? There is so few facts and the facts are being spin according to what sells for the media. It is almost as if the media companies are doing the readers thinking and analysis for them as if we as the readers lack comprehension.

I am not saying Toyota is blameless it just that they are no different than any other company in the States or overseas. It is a ashamed that this happened to Toyota just after I read the book The Toyota Leaders: An Executive Guide by Masaaki Sato.

Glad that the Toyota recall happened because it is showing the ugly side of prejudice toward a foreign company in the States whether it is the media or people who dislike Toyota for various reasons.

No need to look as far as the US - simply look at many of the preceding comments for ample evidence of this, with prejudice towards Japan in general thrown in for good measure.

UnagiDon at 06:21 AM JST - 7th February

Glad that the Toyota recall happened because it is showing the ugly side of prejudice toward a foreign company in the States whether it is the media or people who dislike Toyota for various reasons.

No need to look as far as the US - simply look at many of the preceding comments for ample evidence of this, with prejudice towards Japan in general thrown in for good measure.

You reap, what you sow. Where are the Korean cars on Japans roads?

skipbeat at 05:25 AM JST - 7th February

skipbeat has, missed the beat.

What happened to fair and balance journalism reporting?

Nothing happened, It never existed, ever, in any news story.

Next time try sprinkling in a modicum of common sense with your news. We report you decide.

You miss the point

A recall, and knowingly selling something dangerous, are, two, entirely different misadventures. Pipes of a different color, so to speak.

Asked if he should have acted more quickly, Toyoda replied in hesitant English: “I will do my best.”

Translation in Japanese-

Watashewa Gombate

Toyota is in deep doodoo. The way to act with doodoo, is to wipe it off, quickly. Now Toyota got doodoo all over the floor mats, the accelerators, and in the brakes and the company, and everyone can smell it. That type of smell lingers.