OREANDA-NEWS. March 29, 2011. On March 27, Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda visited the region of Japan most affected by the earthquake/tsunami, then issued a statement of support, followed by a commitment by the company to provide 50 vehicles to support relief efforts in the area. Here’s Akio’s personal message to people in the damaged area:

To All Those Affected by the Tohoku Earthquake

I offer my prayers to all those who lost their lives in the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and its ensuing aftermath, as well as my sympathy to the survivors and their families.

Not only is the struck region one of our production bases, those directly hit and vastly affected include our dealers, suppliers and numerous other partners.

I went to Miyagi Prefecture on March 27.  Seeing the devastation with my own eyes brought home to me the depth of destruction and the atmosphere of sadness caused by the disaster.  Seeing the situation for myself made me more determined to continue to provide useful support.

I visited government offices in Ohira Village and in Taiwa Town, which have supported our business activities in their locales.  I also went to Sendai Port, to our dealerships and to our factories that produce vehicles and parts.

Although time was limited, through visiting the affected area and seeing people there trying step-by-step to get over the agony of their losses, I became strongly determined to return smiles to the faces of the people in the Tohoku region by reviving manufacturing there as soon as possible.

We believe that returning as quickly as possible to daily life can play an important part in bringing the hope of a better tomorrow at our plants, our team members once again working together, supporting each other and creating a positive atmosphere and, at our dealerships, warm and friendly staff once again welcoming customers.

We at Toyota will continue doing all we can to be of assistance to the people affected.