Photo/Illutration Akio Toyoda, right, president of Toyota Motor Corp., takes part in an online news conference Jan. 26 with his anointed successor, Koji Sato. (Captured from Toyota Times website)

Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada served as the “trigger” in the decision by Akio Toyoda to step down as company president and hand over the baton to a much younger executive.

According to Toyoda, the ball on personnel changes got rolling when Uchiyamada, 76, said he wanted to step down due to his age.

Uchiyamada was in charge of development of the Prius, the world’s first hybrid vehicle which made its debut in 1997. As a result, he became a symbolic figure as the face of Toyota’s efforts to be regarded around the world as an eco-friendly company.

At one time, Toyoda foresaw Uchiyamada remaining in his post while he pursued other interests without holding a corporate position.

Toyoda served as company president for close to 14 years. He consulted with Uchiyamada about his plan, expecting a pat on the back. But the chairman had other ideas.

Uchiyamada explained that it fell to him to ensure that the entire Japanese industrial sector grabbed a bigger global market share, rather than simply oversee the 370,000 people in the Toyota group or even the 5.5 million said to be employed in the Japanese automotive sector.

Uchiyamada told Toyoda he would need the post of company chairman to play a more influential role in the business sector, such as becoming the head of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), the powerful business lobby.

Toyoda’s father, Shoichiro, as well as Hiroshi Okuda served as Keidanren chairman while they served in the post of Toyota Motor chairman.

Last year, Toyoda became co-chair of Keidanren’s mobility committee. It remains to be seen if he will seek an even higher post.

The personnel moves announced Jan. 26 mean Toyoda will become chairman of the auto giant while Koji Sato will take over as president, effective April 1.

Sato is 53, the same age as Toyoda when he took over as president. An engineer by training, Sato will be tasked with steering the company to a bigger slice of the global market for electric vehicles.

While Toyota in 2022 sold the most cars worldwide for the third straight year, it lags  American, European and Chinese automakers in EVs. It does not even rank in the top 10 in terms of sales of such vehicles.

Sato may not be able to provide strong leadership like Toyoda, who not only comes from the founding family of the company but will continue to exert major influence within the company as chairman.

(This article was written by Takeshi Narabe, Eisuke Eguchi and Hiroaki Kimura, a senior staff writer.)

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