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Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM, 7203T) said today that it has submitted a progress report on recurrence prevention of model certification application issues to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in compliance with the correction order issued by the ministry. This report, summarizing actions taken to date, is the fourth of a series of quarterly reports that resulted after Toyota and Group companies falsified emission compliance reports*
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda took the lead during February 2024 “in calling on Group companies to start Toyota’s company-wide TPS (Toyota Production System) training program for Certification Work. The aim of this initiative is to create a better work system through improvement. The president and other members of management continue to be on-site daily at various genba [In the Toyota production system Genba means the actual place where the work is done such as a factory floor or an engineering center. Monozukuri, below is craftsmanship or the art of manufacturing. It is used as shorthand to represent the whole history and depth of Japanese manufacturing practices. – AutoCrat]. This is being done to clarify stagnation factors in each process and to create a system to identify abnormalities,” Toyota said.
On July 31, 2024, MLIT issued a correction order urging fundamental reforms in certification operations with respect to (1) management involvement, (2) regulations, (3) record-keeping, and (4) human resource development.
Progress of Recurrence Prevention Measures
“Based on the above points raised by MLIT, with the three pillars of Strengthening Foundations, Monozukuri, and Human Development, Toyota has been promoting a review of its structure and systems to ensure that each employee is aware of legal compliance and is able to do the job correctly. The company is also promoting on-site management, in which management, including the president and executive vice presidents, promptly takes appropriate action at the genba in response to abnormalities.
“Concrete steps taken since the previous report in May are as follows. They will be promoted across the Toyota Group with set priorities and activity plans in the future.
“Strengthening Foundations
- Maintaining a structure in which management visits the operational genba to identify problems and make immediate decisions on how to deal with them.
- Grasping hardships and efforts at the genba and continuing discussions on what management should do at weekly executive-level meetings related to certification.
- Continuing abnormality management in the vehicle development process, certification operation audits by in-house inspectors, and third-party audits of these abnormality management and audit operations.
- In addition to grasping the actual genba conditions of certification-related departments, visualizing anomalies such as certification test schedules and workload conditions as well as promoting systematic human resource development, appropriate allocation of human and physical resources in accordance with certification operation workloads, and flexible schedule changes.
“Monozukuri
- Continuing a new operational approach to ongoing development projects, incorporating measures to prevent recurrence.
- This includes a system to check the impact on certification operations at each milestone and make management decisions on the impact, including the applicable laws and regulations, the scale of certification operations, the certification schedule, and the number of vehicles to be certified. (As of August 2025, a total of 137 such projects are underway.)
- Continuing an operational approach in which management discusses countermeasures for issues at the genba (carried out 13 times since previous report; 45 times in total), reporting to the Board of Directors as appropriate.
- Clarifying the person responsible for each process in certification operations, as well as the judgment criteria and connections between regulations. Implementing a review of the regulatory framework for certification operations so that operations can be continued while checking the work quality and operations can be halted if abnormalities are found.
- Reducing workloads at the genba by minimizing tasks such as data transcription through the use of digital technologies.
“Human Development
- Continuing communication between management and employees, not only in development and certification operations, but also at the genba of planning, production, sales, and other certification-related operations.
- Implementing regular communication through messages from the president (performed 20 times in total).
- Continuing internal training on certification operations.
- Introducing an internal qualification system (Meister system) to maintain and enhance the quality of sustainable certification tests and develop human resources. Establishing a five-tier qualification structure, with the Meister at the highest level, designed to promote proper certification test operations and autonomous improvement at each genba, as well as providing tailored educational programs for each qualification level,” Toyota said in the compliance report.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota – Latest Emission Scandal Compliance Report
Click for more.
Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM, 7203T) said today that it has submitted a progress report on recurrence prevention of model certification application issues to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in compliance with the correction order issued by the ministry. This report, summarizing actions taken to date, is the fourth of a series of quarterly reports that resulted after Toyota and Group companies falsified emission compliance reports*
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda took the lead during February 2024 “in calling on Group companies to start Toyota’s company-wide TPS (Toyota Production System) training program for Certification Work. The aim of this initiative is to create a better work system through improvement. The president and other members of management continue to be on-site daily at various genba [In the Toyota production system Genba means the actual place where the work is done such as a factory floor or an engineering center. Monozukuri, below is craftsmanship or the art of manufacturing. It is used as shorthand to represent the whole history and depth of Japanese manufacturing practices. – AutoCrat]. This is being done to clarify stagnation factors in each process and to create a system to identify abnormalities,” Toyota said.
On July 31, 2024, MLIT issued a correction order urging fundamental reforms in certification operations with respect to (1) management involvement, (2) regulations, (3) record-keeping, and (4) human resource development.
Progress of Recurrence Prevention Measures
“Based on the above points raised by MLIT, with the three pillars of Strengthening Foundations, Monozukuri, and Human Development, Toyota has been promoting a review of its structure and systems to ensure that each employee is aware of legal compliance and is able to do the job correctly. The company is also promoting on-site management, in which management, including the president and executive vice presidents, promptly takes appropriate action at the genba in response to abnormalities.
“Concrete steps taken since the previous report in May are as follows. They will be promoted across the Toyota Group with set priorities and activity plans in the future.
“Strengthening Foundations
“Monozukuri
“Human Development
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.