Toyota Motor Corporation has submitted its fourth quarterly progress report to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) regarding the measures it is taking to prevent a recurrence of model certification application issues. This action follows a correction order from MLIT issued on July 31, 2024, which called for fundamental reforms in areas such as management involvement, regulatory compliance, record-keeping, and human resource development.
The company’s latest report outlines the steps taken since May 2025 under three main pillars: Strengthening Foundations, Monozukuri (manufacturing excellence), and Human Development. Toyota says it is reviewing its structure and systems to ensure legal compliance across all employees. Management—including the president and executive vice presidents—are maintaining an on-site presence at operational locations (“genba”) to respond promptly to any irregularities.
Under “Strengthening Foundations,” Toyota reports that management continues regular visits to operational sites to identify problems and make decisions. Weekly executive-level meetings are held to discuss challenges at these sites related to certification. The company has also maintained internal and third-party audits of abnormality management within vehicle development processes.
For “Monozukuri,” Toyota states that ongoing development projects now include checks for impacts on certification operations at each milestone. As of August 2025, there are 137 such projects underway. Management has met thirteen times since the previous report—and forty-five times in total—to address issues at operational sites, with findings reported as needed to the Board of Directors. Responsibilities for each process in certification operations have been clarified, with criteria established for regulatory compliance.
In terms of “Human Development,” communication between management and employees continues through regular messages from the president—twenty times so far—and internal training sessions focused on certification operations. An internal qualification system called the Meister system has been introduced with five levels designed to promote proper test procedures and ongoing improvement.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda has led efforts since February last year encouraging Group companies to begin TPS (Toyota Production System) training programs specifically for Certification Work. “The aim of this initiative is to create a better work system through improvement,” according to the company’s statement. The president and other executives maintain daily on-site involvement across various stages including planning, design, production, and sales linked with certification processes in order “to clarify stagnation factors in each process and create a system to identify abnormalities.”
“Toyota will continue to make company-wide efforts to improve its certification process to once again gain the trust of its stakeholders,” said the company in its statement.
Further information about Toyota’s broader sustainability initiatives can be found at https://global.toyota/en/sustainability/sdgs/.
