Akio Toyoda announces retirement as Japan auto group chief

After stepping back as a chief executive and taking a more relaxed role as Toyota's chairman of the board, Akio Toyoda is set to have even more time to be “Morizo”.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) held its regular press conference, and this is where Toyoda announced his retirement as Chairman. JAMA is the equivalent of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI)

Toyoda took office as Chairman of the auto group back in 2018, and it's under his leadership that the biennial Tokyo Motor Show became the Japan Mobility Show.

From the traditional car-centric theme, the recently concluded Japan Mobility Show became an all-industry event that showcased new passenger cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, car bodies, parts, and machinery, plus mobility services from software experts and startups.

Taking Toyoda's place as Chairman of JAMA is Masanori Katayama, who is also the Chairman of Isuzu Motors Limited. This also marks the first time that an executive from another brand has been appointed as president, as previous leaders of JAMA came from either Toyota, Nissan, or Honda.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairmen of JAMA are Makoto Uchida (Nissan), Toshihiro Mibe (Honda), Koji Sato (Toyota), Toshihiro Suzuki (Suzuki), Yoshihiro Hidaka (Yamaha), and Seiichi Nagatsuka.

Toyoda also shared in the press conference that he is not retiring in the automotive industry itself, and shall remain as Toyota's master driver under the “Morizo” pseudonym.