Fujio Cho
Encyclopedia
is chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation
. In the Japan
ese system, that puts him in charge of the country's and world's largest automaker
. Chō is only the second "outsider" to head Toyota Motor Co. since the members of the founding Toyoda
family stepped aside in 1995.
He earned a bachelor's degree
in Law from the University of Tokyo
in March 1960. Chō joined the Toyota Motor Corporation
in April 1960. Chō's previous titles include: Managing Director, Senior Managing Director, Vice President, President and Vice Chairman of the Board. He previously worked as President in a subsidiary. Chō has been serving as Chairman of the Board
and Representative Director of Toyota Motor Corporation
since June 2006.
In an interview, he had explained that his surname
is rarely used in Japan. Chō's ancestors were immigrants from China
and Korea
.
Chō has been a strong advocate of environmentally friendly automotive technology, such as the hybrid-electric Prius.
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
. In the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese system, that puts him in charge of the country's and world's largest automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
. Chō is only the second "outsider" to head Toyota Motor Co. since the members of the founding Toyoda
Eiji Toyoda
is a prominent Japanese industrialist, who was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later chairman.-Career:...
family stepped aside in 1995.
He earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Law from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in March 1960. Chō joined the Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
in April 1960. Chō's previous titles include: Managing Director, Senior Managing Director, Vice President, President and Vice Chairman of the Board. He previously worked as President in a subsidiary. Chō has been serving as Chairman of the Board
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
and Representative Director of Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
since June 2006.
In an interview, he had explained that his surname
Zhang (surname)
Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of...
is rarely used in Japan. Chō's ancestors were immigrants from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
Chō has been a strong advocate of environmentally friendly automotive technology, such as the hybrid-electric Prius.
Honors
- Order of the Rising Sun, Grand CordonOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, 2009. - TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, 100 most influential people of 2004.