Honda's second-highest-ranking executive, Shinji Aoyama, has been immediately fired from the car brand after he was linked to 'inappropriate behavior'.
Honda's second-in-command, Vice President Shinji Aoyama, is leaving the car giant immediately after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Aoyama himself faced disciplinary action and is now paying back his salary.
Honda is facing a leadership challenge. Vice President Shinji Aoyama has left his position. In fact, he has been forced to.
The dismissal, which is not officially a dismissal, follows allegations of inappropriate behavior, and Aoyama has agreed to pay back 20 percent of his salary.
Shinji Aoyama was the second-highest executive at Honda, a position of great responsibility. He reported directly to CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
Aoyama had a long career at Honda, starting with the car brand back in 1986.
The reason for the sudden departure is an incident outside of work hours. Aoyama is accused of "inappropriate behavior at a social event."
Honda immediately launched an internal investigation into the matter. But before the investigation was completed and Honda could present what it had found, Shinji Aoyama himself chose to resign from his position.
His departure occurred soon after the accusation became public knowledge.
In addition to his resignation, Aoyama has accepted a financial consequence. He will repay 20 percent of the salary he has received for the last two months.
Mystery about 'the inappropriate behavior '
Honda has not specified exactly what the inappropriate behavior consists of. However, it is mentioned that the behavior violates human rights.
Honda has issued an official statement regarding the matter, in which the company deeply regrets the incident.
"It is deeply regrettable that a person in the company's management, who is expected to be an example of respect for human rights and compliance with laws and regulations, has been the subject of an accusation of conduct that violates those principles," Honda wrote.
– The company sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused by such behavior,
Honda writes. They also apologize for the unrest and concern this has caused to shareholders.
The car manufacturer emphasizes that they are taking the matter very seriously. Restoring trust is seen as the highest priority.
Honda's focus on the time after Aoyama
Honda is committed to significantly strengthening its internal compliance system throughout the company to ensure compliance with regulations and ethics and to avoid similar cases in the future.
Although Aoyama has resigned and Honda has apologized, the exact details of the incident remain unknown, leaving questions about the nature of the behavior.
The departure of such a senior executive is a significant event for Honda, a global player in the automotive industry, as the company must now navigate its way forward without its longtime second-in-command.
However, Honda is much more than internal management matters. The brand is known for reliable cars and motorcycles.
At Boosted.dk you can dive into more Honda-related news. For example, that the Japanese wanted to make the competitors from Nissan a 'sub brand'. And that it actually got another director fired. Read more about it here .
