TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp. President Koji Sato submitted to transport minister Tetsuo Saito on Friday a set of measures aimed at preventing a repetition of vehicle type approval test fraud.

The measures include regular on-site checks of vehicle certification tests by management team officials. The leading Japanese automaker is also considering increasing workers at its department that conducts internal audits of type approval tests and utilizing outside experts.

Sato told reporters later in the day that Toyota will hold relevant management officials responsible for the testing fraud in terms of their compensation for the current fiscal year. He also said that the company plans to raise the number of employees directly involved in vehicle certification operations by about 10 pct from some 400 at present.

To prevent a recurrence of the scandal, Toyota hopes to introduce to its certification operations the concept of its production method, in which vehicle manufacturing is suspended soon after a problem is detected and improvement measures are then taken swiftly.

The company will revise its internal rules to clarify the roles of management officials and departments in charge of certification operations, and conduct training programs to thoroughly make sure that all employees comply with law.

Toyota will also set up a system to manage vehicle development schedules so that enough time is allocated to certification-related operations.

In early June, Toyota announced that an internal inspection ordered by the transport ministry had found fraudulent type approval tests for seven vehicle models. On July 5, the firm said that no more irregularities were confirmed.

But an inspection by the ministry later revealed testing fraud for seven additional models, and Toyota received a corrective order from the ministry. The firm is obliged to report progress in the implementation of the prevention measures to the ministry every quarter.

JIJI Press