Thursday, November 6, 2014

Remember: Toyota US CEO Hideaki Otaka sued for sexual harrassment by secretary in 2006; settled



Toyota's sex culture does not stay confined to Japan, it appears.

In this 2006 sexual harrassment complaint, executive assistant Kobayashi describes the details of her nightmare of harrassment by her boss, then-CEO of Toyota North America, Hideaki Otaka.

Key among Ms. Kobayashi's allegations in her complaint:

 - [while on a business trip] defendant Otaka suddenly approached Ms. Kobayashi, forcibly grabbing her body and attempting to engage in sexual contact with her.

- While in a secluded area of [Central] park, defendant Otaka suddenly
grabbed Plaintiff’s body and forcibly attempted to engage in sexual contact with her.

- Defendants [retaliated] against Ms. Kobayashi for having reported
defendant Otaka’s outrageous and dishonorable conduct to Toyota North
America.

The company's culpability was alleged in these items in the complaint:

9. On information and belief, throughout defendant Otaka’s career with
Toyota Japan and its affiliated entities he had the reputation of repeatedly engaging
and/or attempting to engage in extra-marital sexual relationships.

10. At the time defendant Otaka was appointed to the position of Toyota
North America’s President and CEO, both Toyota Japan and Toyota North America
were, or should have been, aware of defendant Otaka’s reputation of abusing previous
positions of authority within Toyota Japan by repeatedly engaging in or attempting to
engage in extra-marital sexual relationships.

11. Rather than either terminate defendant Otaka or ensure that defendant
Otaka was placed in a position in which he could not abuse his position of authority over
Toyota’s female employees, the world’s seventh largest corporation and its wholly owned
North American subsidiary elected to place defendant Otaka in a position in which he had
absolute power and authority over 31,500 employees in North America.

107. On information and belief, no investigation concerning Plaintiff’s
complaints of sexual harassment has ever been conducted by Toyota North America
and/or Toyota Japan and defendant Otaka has not been disciplined in any manner by
either Toyota North America and/or Toyota Japan for his conduct towards Plaintiff.

Toyota later settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. Otaka left his post. The company established new policies. We don't know if they are effective.

The scandal was written up in detail by FACTA, a Japanese investigative reporting site that later became famous for revealing the massive fraud at Olympus:

驕る北米トヨタ「セクハラ訴訟」の重症度
前社長秘書が史上最高212億円の損害賠償請求。背後にマンハッタンのやり手弁護士事務所。

2006年7月号 BUSINESS
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 驕る平家は久しからず──。そんな不吉な予感を漂わせているのは、快進撃が続いているトヨタ自動車だ。

4年連続で最高益を更新し、2006年3月期の最終利益は1兆3721億円。グループ全体の四輪車生産台数は、年内にも米ゼネラルモーターズ(GM)を抜いて世界一になる。しかし、北米で発覚したセクハラ(性的嫌がらせ)問題は、トヨタにも死角が潜む危うさを示した。

 絶好調トヨタの「勝利宣言」になるはずだった決算発表を目前に控えた5月初め。アメリカから衝撃的なニュースが飛び込んできた。

 北米トヨタ自動車の大高英昭社長(65)から、セクハラを受けたとして、前社長秘書の小林明香(さやか)さん(42)が、大高氏とトヨタ自動車を提訴した問題だ。損害賠償請求額は、1億9000万ドル(約212億円)という前代未聞の金額だった。

 ニューヨーク・タイムズ、NBC、フォーブスなど欧米のメディアは一斉に大々的な報道をした。比較的控えめな報道にとどめた日本のメディアとは対照的で、米紙の中には、「ハイブリッドではなく、セックスを燃料とする車」というセンセーショナルな見出しで報じたものもあった。

 大高氏は「潔白が証明されると信じている」と疑惑を否定したが、提訴から1週間で辞任に追い込まれた。

 好決算のトヨタの収益を支える最大の柱は、低燃費車やハイブリッド車の販売が絶好調の北米市場である。

GMやフォードが経営不安に陥り、日米自動車摩擦の再燃が懸念されているその最中に起きた、北米トヨタ社長を巡る大スキャンダル。トヨタだけの問題ではなく、日米の業界、あるいは日米関係にまで影響を及ぼしかねない。コトの重大性を憂慮したトヨタが、大高氏の更迭で事態収拾を急ごうとしたのが真相だった。

大高氏は「潔白」を主張

Read more here.