TOKYO — Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda’s decision to step back after 14 years brings a generational shift at Japan’s largest company, as the self-described “carmaker” entrusts his younger successor with the task of navigating a fast-changing industry.
Unusually, the change was announced Thursday via a news conference broadcast on the automaker’s Toyota Times YouTube channel, featuring Toyoda, retiring Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada and incoming President Koji Sato. Questions from reporters were taken, but only online.