Okuda Hiroshi (奥田 碩) has died at the age of 93. He served as president and chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation and led Japan's business community as the first chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren.
Former Keidanren Chairman Okuda Hiroshi (奥田 碩) has died. He died on the 12th at the age of 93.
Okuda Hiroshi (奥田 碩) joined Toyota Motor Sales in 1955. The company later merged with Toyota Motor Corporation to form the current Toyota Motor Corporation, and he became president in 1995. He was the first person from outside the founding family to become president in 28 years, and subsequently served as chairman from 1999 to 2006.
As president, he led efforts to rebuild domestic sales and expand overseas. In 1997, Toyota launched the Prius, the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, ahead of the original schedule. With the environment as a key theme, he strengthened Toyota's presence in the eco-friendly vehicle market and laid the groundwork for expanding its sales scale worldwide.
He was also active in business community affairs. In 1999, he became chairman of the Japan Federation of Employers' Associations, or Nikkeiren, and led the new Keidanren as its first chairman following the merger of Nikkeiren and the former Keidanren. He served as a private-sector member of the body regarded as the government's command center for economic policy and was involved in formulating the Basic Policies. In 2012, he became governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, supporting Japanese companies' overseas expansion.
In 2018, he retired as a director of Toyota, after which he no longer had any involvement with the company.