Keidanren to Skip Appointing Toyota Chief as Vice Chair

Tokyo, Feb. 3 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has decided to appoint six new vice chairs, not including Toyota Motor Corp. <7203> President Akio Toyoda, it was learned Friday.

Keidanren is seen this time skipping the appointment to the vice chair post of Toyoda, 66, who is attracting attention as a candidate to be the next head of Japan’s largest business lobby as he is slated to leave the post of president at Toyota in April to become chairman.

Keidanren’s new vice chairs include Veolia Japan K.K. chairperson Yumiko Noda, 63, who will be the first official of a foreign company to hold the post. Veolia Japan operates water-related businesses under France’s Veolia Group.

The other five are Mitsubishi Corp. <8058> Chairman Takehiko Kakiuchi, 67, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. <8306> President Hironori Kamezawa, 61, Nippon Life Insurance Co. Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui, 69, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. <9432> Chairman Jun Sawada, 67, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. <7011> President Seiji Izumisawa, 65.

Keidanren is expected to informally decide on the vice chair appointments at a meeting of its chairman and vice chairs on Monday. The new vice chairs will take office after a general meeting of the group in late May.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]