Five automakers, including Toyota Motor, committed irregularities in their applications for model certification necessary for mass production of automobiles, and top executives of each company apologized over the matter on June 3.

S/ Toyoda Akio, Chairman of Toyota Motor: As the person in charge of the Toyota Group, I would like to express my deepest apologies to our customers, car enthusiasts and all stakeholders.

Following a series of irregularities in applications for model certification at Daihatsu Motor and Toyota Industries, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has asked 85 companies including automakers to investigate and report on the situations.

As a result, five companies, Toyota, Mazda, Yamaha Motor, Honda, and Suzuki, reported by the end of May.that they had committed irregularities.

In the case of Toyota, the industry leader, the company applied for approval after conducting tests under conditions that were not specified in the criteria for measuring the extent to which pedestrian injuries can be reduced in the event of a collision between a pedestrian and a car.

Honda and Mazda also held press conferences, and Honda President Mibe Toshihiro apologized for causing concern to many stakeholders.

Ministry officials conducted an on-site inspection of Toyota Motor headquarters in Aichi Prefecture on June 4.

Regarding the recent spate of misconduct by automakers, a government official said, “There are voices questioning the very system that has failed to properly check for misconduct,” raising questions about the certification system.