What will it take to make cars a more prominent part of Japanese culture? On the day of the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan's general meeting, Chairman Toyoda described his role as that of a lighting technician. What did he mean?
On May 25, the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan (ABAJ) held its annual general meeting and a board meeting at Toyota Arena Tokyo.
The general meeting’s agenda included a report on the association’s activities and finances in the fiscal year ended March 2026, as well as deliberation and approval of the operating plan, proposed budget, and director and auditor appointments for the current fiscal year. At the board meeting that followed, Chairman Akio Toyoda was reappointed to serve a further two-year term.
Chairman Toyoda took the helm in June 2025 with a goal of “making cars the pride of Japanese culture,” and has spent the past year spearheading various initiatives.
At the Japan Mobility Show 2025 in November, he participated in a public forum on the future of motorsports. Then in March 2026, he spoke at the presentation ceremony for the Cars, Culture & Society Partnership (CSP) Awards, recognizing the contributions of the 5.5 million people working in Japan’s auto industry as well as vehicle users.
On May 25, Chairman Toyoda also addressed government officials and other representatives at a reception held after the board meeting.
The lighting guy
Chairman Toyoda began his remarks with news from the previous day. His ROOKIE Racing team claimed its first-ever victory in the Japanese Super Formula Championship, considered the country’s fastest motorsports series.
While reflecting on this triumphant moment, he spoke about his own role in making cars the pride of Japanese culture.
Chairman Toyoda
Hello everyone. I am Akio Toyoda.
Given that we are here at Toyota Arena Tokyo, a renowned venue for basketball and other sports, if I may I would like to start by talking about motorsports.
Yesterday, the private racing team I founded nearly seven years ago finally secured its first victory.
We did so in Japan’s fastest racing series, which draws the top drivers. Behind the wheel for our team was Nirei Fukuzumi, a professional driver in his twenties.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there at Suzuka yesterday, but I was watching the broadcast. What struck me most about this first win was that, even though Fukuzumi drives for a Toyota-backed team, the first people who rushed over to congratulate him were the Honda drivers, Ayumu Iwasa, Kakunoshin Ohta, and Tadasuke Makino.
The Honda guys looked really thrilled as they celebrated with Fukuzumi.
Athletes don’t see divisions between manufacturers, they simply celebrate each other’s achievements. That made me really happy.
A year ago, I stood here and called for “making cars the pride of Japanese culture.” I feel that eliminating barriers, both between carmakers and between industries, is absolutely crucial for making cars a more central part of our culture.
Thank you for allowing me to bask in the glow of our victory a little longer.
During the past year, the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan also helped bring a NASCAR event to Japan from the U.S.
The event came about after I had the chance to meet U.S. Ambassador George Glass in the middle of tariff discussions.
Ambassador Glass also loves cars, and in our excitement talking about this shared passion we hit on the idea of a U.S.-Japan cultural exchange through motorsports.
On the day of the event, the Ambassador even joined us at the track, with a big smile on his face.
With sports and culture as our starting point, I think we were able to take a step back from politics and economics, and engage in conversation with smiles on both sides.
If I keep talking about motorsports like this, I realize people might start saying Akio Toyoda is just doing what he wants at the Automobile Business & Culture Association.
And maybe that’s true. But what I want to do has never wavered.
I’ve always believed that what I do should be for someone other than myself whether that’s Japan, the auto industry, or the people working hard on the front lines.
With your support, the association has welcomed members from a wide range of sectors: manufacturing, including parts suppliers; sales and maintenance, including imported and used vehicles; and transport (trucks, buses, and taxis), as well as user organizations like JAF and many others connected to motorsports.
What I want to do is to shine a spotlight on the genba in all these corners of the auto industry.
Something like this:
My role is to be the lighting guy. I’ve come to feel that this reflects what I am trying to achieve as ABAJ chairman.
As a car-loving guy who has been entrusted to lead the Automobile Business & Culture Association, I believe that turning the spotlight on various aspects of the industry will surely help to make cars the pride of Japanese culture.
Once again, I ask for your continued support of the Automobile Business & Culture Association. Thank you very much for your time today.