Social Initiatives

Societies Full of Smiles

Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota Group, wished for people to smile, and his desires continue to be expressed in our present-day activities: at Toyota, we do everything in our power to contribute to the creation of prosperous towns and societies, to put a smile on the faces of as many people as possible. In order to enrich the lives of communities, we are first of all contributing to society through car-manufacturing; we are also engaged in a variety of activities aimed at realizing a society in which all people can value each other and find happiness.

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Toyota has distributed traffic safety picture books and picture-story show cards for more than 50 years

When the number of pedestrian traffic accident injuries and deaths is broken down by age, accidents involving children aged seven years old are by far the most common. Children aged seven years old account for 2.5-times more traffic accidents than adults, and approximately two-times more than senior citizens aged 65 or over. It is, therefore, essential to educate pre-school children about traffic safety. In order to encourage children aged six and under to develop an awareness of traffic safety, since 1969 we have distributed traffic safety picture books and picture-story show cards on the theme of "the risks of running out into the road".

Until now, we have distributed a total of approximately 146.75 million picture books, and approximately 1.71 million sets of picture-story show cards.

At Toyota, our ultimate goal is to realize zero casualties from traffic accidents and, to this end, we intend to continue our educational activities and, at the same time, continue to develop safe cars and establish safe traffic environments.

Customer First, and Quality First
Communication activities aimed at ensuring the 2010 recalls are not forgotten

With the large-scale recalls that originated in the United States in 2010, we caused customers around the world to feel alarm regarding the quality of our products, and lost their trust. In order to ensure the recalls continue to be remembered, we have designated February 24―the day on which President Akio Toyoda took the stand at his U.S. hearing―as "Toyota Restart Day." On this day, we seek to learn from the experiences of 2010 and establish systems and hold educational activities to ensure that the 2010 recalls are not forgotten.

We have established education facilities for our employees at our plants and overseas bases. They are designed to enable each employee to experience first-hand the importance of product quality; actual examples of faulty parts are on display, while employees can take part in driving simulations. In addition, employees who worked for Toyota at the time of the recalls assume the role of storyteller and convey what they experienced at their own work sites.

In order to provide our customers with safe and secure cars, we will continue to pursue a policy of "Customer First" and "Quality First."

Contributing to Society through Sports Supporting the independence of athletes with intellectual disabilities

The mission of the Special Olympics is to continually provide opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and smile, and share their gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other athletes, and the community.

The Special Olympics hosts year-round tournaments and competitions at which athletes with intellectual disabilities can demonstrate the fruit of their training in Olympic-style sports. The fact that the Special Olympics is a plural noun indicates that, rather than having a single designated event, people from around the world continuously participate in a range of activities.

At Toyota, we endorse these activities, and it is our intention to contribute to the realization of a society in which we can all live together.

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