Toyota worker sues for harassment
Sayaka Kobayashi is seeking $190m in damages
A Toyota employee has filed a $190m (£103m) lawsuit in the US, alleging that the carmaker's top American boss sexually harassed her.
Sayaka Kobayashi, 42, claims Toyota North American chief executive Hideaki Otaka, 65, made repeated sexual advances to her in 2005.
Toyota said it had a "zero tolerance" policy towards sexual harassment, but declined to make any further comment.
The news came as Toyota posted a 9% rise in US sales in April.
This was the month's highest gain, and compared with a 6.5% rise at Honda - and yet more declines at the big three US car firms.
April sales at General Motors dipped 7%, while those at Chrysler dropped 4%, and Ford's declined 3%.
Overall US car sales in April were down 3% to 16.7 million vehicles.
'Bad reputation'
Ms Kobayashi alleges that the sexual harassment against her took place while she was working as Mr Otaka's assistant in New York.
Rather than the step forward for her career that she had hoped, the position [in Mr Otaka's office] has turned into a personal nightmare for Ms Kobayashi
Ms Kobayashi's lawsuit
She further claims that the firm failed to act on her complaints at the time.
In her lawsuit, she says she was asked to become Mr Otaka's assistant in March 2005.
"Rather than the step forward for her career that she had hoped, the position has turned into a personal nightmare for Ms Kobayashi," the lawsuit said.
It adds that Toyota should have known Mr Otaka had a "reputation of abusing positions of authority within Toyota Japan by repeatedly engaging in or attempting to engage in extra-marital sexual relationships".
Ms Kobayashi is seeking $40m for injury to her career, plus $150m in punitive damages.
この事件は、2006年5月3日付けのアメリカ、ニューズデー紙が報道し、次いで各種メディアが報道して知られるようになった。内容はトヨタ自動車のアメリカ法人である北米トヨタ自動車の元社長秘書が、2005年秋、同社の社長兼CEO大高英昭から出張先のホテルの部屋や公園で体を触られるなどのセクハラ行為を受けたというものである。この元秘書は5月1日、ニューヨーク州地裁に、同社長と北米トヨタ、トヨタ自動車本社を相手取り、懲罰的損害賠償を含む総額1900万ドル(当時の日本円換算で215億円)の支払いを求める訴訟を提起した。
同社長は訴訟を受けて、「裁判では全面的に嫌疑を晴らせると期待しているが、社長にとどまることは結果的に会社の利益にならないと判断した」としてまもなく辞任し(会社による事実上の更迭)、6月下旬に別の子会社のダイハツ工業と関東自動車工業の監査役への就任の内定も取り消された。訴訟自体は、同年8月4日に非を認めた会社側と被害者の間で巨額の和解金により決着している。