Hiroshi Okuda, Toyota's outspoken top exec, embraced globalization wave

ObituariesAs head of Japan's main business lobby, Okuda aggressively pushed for changeHiroshi Okuda, then president of Toyota Motor, at a news conference announcing the automaker's foray into Formula One racing, in Tokyo in January 1999. (Photo by Kazumi Saito)ATSUSHI NAKAYAMAAugust 12, 2026 05:11 JSTTOKYO -- Hiroshi Okuda, the late former president of Toyota Motor and former chairman of the Japan Business Federation, was a rare figure who garnered international attention as a leading Japanese business executive and a mainstay of the country's corporate world.