Gearoid Reidy, Columnist

For Toyota, More Akio Would Be a Good Thing

The $33 billion buyout of Toyota Industries may be a power play by former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. If so, skeptical investors should welcome his involvement.

June 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM UTC

By Gearoid Reidy

Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief.

Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor Corp.
Photographer: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg

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Akio Toyoda, the scion of Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding family and former chief executive officer, generally seems to prefer being behind the wheel of a car than being in the spotlight.

But with the $33 billion buyout of Toyota Industries Corp. announced on Tuesday, along with his personal investment, he might be making a corporate comeback. That would be a good thing, regardless of what the critics say.