Japan Aims to Tighten Recall Rules

TOKYO—Japan’s transport authorities are planning to tighten rules related to vehicle recalls, responding to criticism that insufficient government oversight in the nation’s recall process may have contributed to delays in the handling of safety problems at Toyota Motor Corp.

Transport minister Seiji Maehara said Tuesday the government will review several aspects of the recall system with an eye toward strengthening its authority and capability in gathering information on vehicle problems and enforcing remedial action when necessary.

“I tend to think there is a great possibility that Toyota didn’t share information with the government properly,” Mr. Maehara said at a press conference. “I think it’s extremely important to strengthen our information-gathering system so the [transport] ministry and the consumers are given full explanations even when the problems seem trivial to the manufacturers.”

Mr. Maehara’s remarks came as authorities in the U.S. intensify their scrutiny of safety practices at Toyota. Chief executive Akio Toyoda is set to face a grilling by lawmakers in Washington Wednesday. The company has also confirmed receiving subpoenas from a federal grand jury and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. Maehara said the staff of the National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory—the agency that conducts actual investigations when vehicle problems are reported or suspected—should be expanded. The section in the laboratory responsible for auto recalls has only 16 staffers, 15 of which are part-time employees. The government will also study whether the existing system to enforce a recall when it sees a problem is sufficient, the minister said, without giving further explanation.

Experts say even after considerable tightening over the past decade, Japan’s recall rules are looser than in the U.S., allowing Toyota to drag its feet on recalling its vehicles after problems are reported. In Japan, auto makers are required to report recalls to the government only if the vehicles are found to have problems that fail to comply with the national safety standard. Other types of repairs are done on a voluntary basis without the supervision of the government.

In the U.S., all vehicles must be recalled under the supervision of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if “safety-related defects” are detected, not just when failing to meet the existing standard.

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