Shoichiro Toyoda, honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp

Shoichiro Toyoda, the honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp., died of heart failure on Tuesday. A former chairman of the Japan Business Federation Keidanren Toyoda laid the foundation for Toyota to make a significant leap forward into the global market.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday that Toyoda was the leader of the Japanese automobile industry. He also led the nation's economy as Keidanren chairman. The prime minister said he will pray for the repose of his soul.

Toyoda was the oldest son of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda. After graduating from university, he worked for a relative fish processing company in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, where he baked chikuwa tube-shaped fish cakes and kamaboko steamed fish cakes.

In 1952, Toyoda joined Toyota Motor Co., a company called Toyota Motor Co., when Kiichiro suddenly passed away. He led the construction of the Motomachi plant in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, the first passenger car plant in Asia, and served as the first manager of the factory.

When Toyota Motor Sales Co. merged with the automaker in 1982, Toyoda became president of the integrated entity, Toyota Motor Corp.

During his tenure as president, Toyoda founded a factory in a joint venture with General Motors Co. of the United States in 1984 and decided to build Toyota's first independent plant in the United States. In 1989 Toyota released luxury Lexus brand cars in the United States. The company previously had a strong image as a low-end automobile manufacturer, and this improved its brand strength. Toyoda was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2007 in the hopes of honoring individuals who have contributed to the U.S. auto industry.

In 1992 he handed over the post of president to his younger brother, Tatsuro. Toyoda became chairman and made his presence felt in the business world, an area Toyota had distanced itself from. In 1994 he became chairman of Keidanren and led efforts for deregulation and administrative reform.

During this period, the yen appreciated quickly, and there was trade friction with the United States. When I stepped down from Keidanren's leadership, Toyoda told a press conference that I faced a number of difficulties but I always told myself I should not feel like I am suffering. Toyoda was known for his warm, friendly personality. He would tell people not to call him the prime minister of business. I am not that type of person. Toyoda was a great car enthusiast as a former auto engineer. In 2012, a special exhibition held at the Toyota Automobile Museum in order to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Toyota's founding, he walked around the venue and explained to the press each of Toyota's famous classic models with great affection.

He said in 2017 that the industrial structure is in the process of major change and referred to the global competition over the development of big data and artificial intelligence. He was looking at the world with a keen business eye even in his later years.

Toyoda received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2002 and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers in 2007.