Currently reading: Toyota boss told: 'Stop weeping'
Shareholder confronts Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda

Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda was told to stop weeping in public by one of his shareholders at yesterday's company general meeting.

The investor told Akio Toyoda: "Mr Toyoda, you've been all over the media this year and you've gone teary-eyed on several occasions. For a man of your position, this is unacceptable. Please keep your chin up and try not to weep."

Toyoda most famously wept when he was forced to make public apologies over the recall of more than ten million cars earlier this year.

Toyoda claimed they were "tears of joy" in reaction to the support from Toyota's car dealers.

"I will try not to go teary-eyed again," said Toyoda.

Toyota posted a 209 billion yen (£1.56bn) profit last year, against a loss of 437bn yen last year.

"I would like to apologise once again for all the worries we have caused our shareholders but we've managed to post a profit after a year of losses and I feel like we are finally at the starting line this year," said Toyoda.

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Zadster 25 June 2010

Re: Toyota boss told to 'stop weeping'

I think the point is that some things are worth shedding a tear over. The death of a colleague for example. Crap throttle software design isn't.

theonlydt 25 June 2010

Re: Toyota boss told to 'stop weeping'

Los Angeles wrote:
So what's your beef? BP should be treated as leniently as a previous administration allegedly treated Exxon?
Drop the word allegedly from that! My beef is with the political posturing made, the "hard stance" taken, when the U.S weren't going to do anything about it beforehand. If this had been a purely U.S company I think their treatment would have been different - see G.M and Toyota as examples. I wish there were equal treatment and the U.S government took their small share of the blame.

theonlydt 25 June 2010

Re: Toyota boss told to 'stop weeping'

Los Angeles wrote:
You want Exxon to be accountable but not BP.
I want both to be accountable. Exxon were treated far more leniently than BP are right now. I'm actually pretty anti-oil and do not sit around stating that globalisation is always a good thing. However my view on oil companies is that we create the demand, we should be fully aware of the consequences and should set the rules that the industry works to, rather than pushing for maximum profit from them and lowest prices for us. If the U.S wants to protect itself from supply shocks and the like it needs to continue to develop its oil resources - deep sea drilling is going to be the only way to do that. Until this accident I'd say the general public and government were pretty gung-ho about it all. Suddenly the environmental movement has made massive advances in the U.S on the back of this.