Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Toyota has announced that its Chairman, TOYODA Akio, has been named the new Chairman of the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan (ABAJ) and says he wants to make the business of making cars “the pride of Japanese culture.”

The history of the ABAJ traces back to its predecessor, the Automobile Association. Just three months after the end of World War II, in November 1945, the association was established thanks in part to the efforts of TOYODA Kiichiro, Akio’s grandfather.

In taking on the role of ABAJ chairman, Toyoda reflected on Kiichiro’s words from the association’s founding: “Cars are key for stability and postwar recovery. I want to build a democratic, automotive-industrial nation that will contribute to Japan’s peaceful rebuilding and to world culture.”

The automobile industry has been a key part of Japan’s postwar development, but the industry is under pressure from new players, declining sales, and new technology.

Toyoda commented: “If all of us began taking action to make cars the culture of Japan, I believe we could make a greater contribution to the country’s economy and national strength.”

“I want to bring us to a point where, when you ask most Japanese people what makes them proud of their country, they will respond, ‘Cars are the pride of Japan.’ For cars to become a culture the country is proud of, we need to move the hearts of the Japanese people, rather than government officials.”

The ABAJ has 166 member groups and companies, and its main initiative is to connect members and work together to make proposals and requests to the government, particularly regarding automobile tax systems.