JAMA Chairman Masanori Katayama outlines the industry-wide efforts needed to ensure that the auto and mobility sector remains a core pillar of Japan's economy.
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) held a press conference on September 19, 2024.
Chairman Masanori Katayama (Isuzu) spoke about preventing further certification problems, ensuring fair transactions with suppliers, and organizing Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024, scheduled for October.
How industry efforts can help individual companies
Addressing the challenges facing the auto industry, Chairman Katayama first turned to issues related to model certification applications.
“The discovery of such irregularities at multiple member companies reflects a fundamental problem for automobile manufacturing, one that affects the safety and confidence of all users,” he acknowledged.
Katayama also reported that 243 preventative measures had been compiled across the 14 member companies as part of sweeping efforts to improve management, culture, and technical aspects.
Chairman Katayama
At JAMA, we are committed to rectifying this matter and figuring out how we can build on it moving forward.
To harness this as a positive energy for the entire automotive sector, we will continue to seek advice from the authorities and hold direct discussions between company leaders, as we strive to strengthen industry-wide efforts.
When asked about specific measures to prevent recurrence, Chairman Katayama responded that, while this is primarily a matter for individual companies, JAMA is also taking an industry-wide perspective. “The question of how we can simplify the complex certification process is not a point of competition but an area for cooperation,” he noted.
He indicated that, after regaining trust through these efforts, JAMA hopes to work with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to revise the system.