TOKYO -- Massive recalls over a series of deaths and other accidents linked to its air bags have forced Takata into bankruptcy. For a company dedicated to making products that keep people safe, the yearslong debacle has created an "abyss of regret," said Akiko Takada, a senior corporate adviser to the company and a member of its founding family.
The Nikkei Asian Review recently spoke with Takada, whose late husband was CEO Juichiro Takada and whose son is current CEO Shigehisa Takada, to see why the 84-year-old company was unable to keep its problems from swelling and what she thinks the auto industry can do to prevent similar problems from recurring.
