A Series of Fabrications in Carmakers

The top leader of world No.1 carmaker apologized on a series of misconducts of his group companies in a press conference last month. Akio Toyoda, the chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, explained that the fabrication of data in safety tests had been caused by miscommunication among the workers. Their management strategy which focused on high efficiency brought the carmaker a distortion in producing machines transporting human lives. 

One of the manufacturers in Toyota group, Toyota Industries Corporation, announced that it had been fabricating the data of diesel engines for the cars which were one of the consignment products of Toyota Motors. To stabilize the test data, they artificially regulated quantity of fuel injection in the test of three kinds of diesel engines. Toyota Motors decided to stop shipment of six brands of cars, which used those engines.

 

Toyota Industries revealed wrong tests in the engines for forklift trucks last March. The company was founded in 1926 by Sakichi Toyoda, great-grandfather of Akio, to manufacture and sell the automatic looms. It was serious for Toyota group that the origin of that major car company repeated the same wrongdoings for years.

 

In Toyota group, Hino Motors, mainly producing trucks and buses, was found its fabrication in the test data of exhaust gas and fuel efficiency in 2022. Daihatsu Motor stopped its shipping of the cars last December, when its fabrication in safety tests was revealed. It is unusual for a group of carmakers to be involved in false managements in such a collective way.

 

According to the report of investigation committees in Toyota group, there lacked a sense of compliance among the people in charge of production. It questioned why they could not consult with supervisors or managers about the development schedule. It is supposed that the schedule for development has been a strict mandate for the factories, and it was unrealistic for them to protest and revise it. The workers might have embraced a mind that consulting with supervisors meant nothing, because it would be dismissed immediately.

 

“I will return the sovereignty to the field of car manufacturing and make everyone able to participate in the management,” said Akio Toyoda in his press conference. “During the time when I was the president for fourteen years, I could not afford to manage it, focusing on getting rid of the crises. I could not watch it rather than did not.” He said it would take certain time to resume confidence.

 

On the same day of press conference, Toyota Motors announced its sales of new cars in 2023, which marked record high. It kept its status of top car seller, leaving Volkswagen of Germany in the second position. Not only as the world top brand, but as leading company of Japan’s manufacturing economy, Toyota is responsible for securing credibility on its products.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more