The Avalon, Camry, Corolla, and other models are affected by the recall.
If you’ve been paying attention to car news—and I certainly hope you have if you own a Toyota—Toyota is calling for massive recalls after discovering a glitch with the gas pedal in some models of its cars that causes the accelerator to become stuck, overriding brakes and causing accidents, injuries, and deaths across the globe. While this is no doubt a serious problem for which the Japanese automaker must take action and face the consequences of a huge sales drop, some lawmakers in Japan are worried that this problem in the private sector will become a “global issue.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya has been quoted as saying, “I’m worried. It’s not just the problem of one company but a domestic issue.”1 He’s not alone. The US is the largest buyer of motor vehicles and so it has the largest number of recalls associated with this problem. Toyota CEO Toyoda Akio has been subpoenaed by the US Congress to testify before a congressional committee about the company’s safety procedures.
But what does this, the matter of a private company, have to do with Japan’s relationship with the US as a nation? Well, Japanese lawmakers are already having a difficult time negotiating with the US over the relocation of an American marine base in Okinawa after the new Japanese Prime Minister, Hatoyama Yukio, halted negotiations as part of his party’s promise to “reexamine” existing ties with the US. The Japanese government has also been asked by the American government to be more lenient with “green” tax laws for vehicles that benefit Japanese cars in Japan far more than American cars.
Lawmakers fear that on top of these problems, if the Toyota heads appear unfriendly or unwilling to work with the American Congress at these hearings, this could spark a tense tax-related “trade war” with America similar to one the countries experienced in the 1980s and 90s. However, not everyone is that concerned, pointing out that this is the matter of a private company and they believe that Toyota will do its best to comply with the US Congress’ wishes.
Should the problems of one private company in a foreign country be responsible for “tension” between the two nations? Would any American expect, for example, Japan to start a trade war with the US over the mistakes of Microsoft in their country? Or, does it make a huge difference because Microsoft’s products are less likely to cause injury, even when they fail, than that of Toyota’s?
1 Associated Press. “Japan worried that Toyota’s problems cut hurt U.S. ties.” Japan Today. 14 Feb. 2010. Politics. 15 Feb. 2010. <http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-worried-that-toyotas-problems-could-hurt-us-ties>.