Toyota Motor Corp., a top corporate sponsor for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has decided to pull all of its Olympics-related TV commercials in Japan.
Japanese media speculated Monday that the decision was made because the car manufacturer fears association with the troubled Summer Games, which are deeply unpopular in Japan, may tarnish its brand rather than burnish it.
“The Olympics is becoming an event that has not gained the public’s understanding,” a Toyota public relations executive surnamed Nagata told Japan’s daily Yomiuri newspaper Monday. The executive added that Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and other senior executives would not be attending the Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony on July 23.
