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Toyota will not air Olympic commercials in Japan and its CEO will not attend the opening ceremony

By Bryan L. Lawrence
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According to a spokesperson for the company, the automaker will not publish any advertising related to the Tokyo Games in Japan, choosing instead to run its “regular” advertisements there.

Representative Hideaki Honma stressed on Monday that the company is not “canceling” any Olympics-related advertising, saying no were planned in the first place.

According to Toyota’s North American division, the automaker’s decision is limited to Japan and was taken “out of sensitivity to the Covid-19 situation in this country.”

In the United States, a “campaign has already aired nationally and will continue to air as planned with our media partners during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the division later said in a statement to CNN Business.

Toyota is one of the main sponsors of the Olympic Games, alongside major global brands such as Coca Cola (KO), Samsung (SSNLF) and Visa (V).
Its mixed approach between countries highlights the complexity of the situation as the world continues to face an uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
In the United States, for example, no advertiser has requested changes, according to a spokesperson for NBCUniversal, an Olympics media partner.

“In the United States, Toyota is not adjusting any marketing plan for the Olympics. Nothing has been canceled or changed,†she told CNN Business. “Toyota is that all systems are gone.”

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This year’s Olympics are shaping up to be like any other, with protests underway to cancel the Games and thousands of volunteers pulling out.
Earlier this month, Japan confirmed that the Games will be held in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some Japanese business leaders have also spoken out amid the controversy. In May, Rakuten (RKUNF) CEO Hiroshi Mikitani told CNN Business it would be a “suicide mission” for the country to host the Games this summer.
Honma also confirmed to CNN Business that Toyota (MT) CEO Akio Toyoda is reportedly not attending the Olympics opening ceremony, scheduled for Friday.
“We wanted to refrain from attending when people who were eagerly awaiting the event cannot go now,” Honma said, noting the recent decision by organizers not to allow any spectators, due to problems with public health.
Top Japanese CEO Says Organizing Olympics Is 'Suicide Mission'

Asked about Toyota’s decision at a press conference on Monday, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said he was “not aware” of the news.

But he acknowledged that Olympic sponsors “had to struggle to support” the Games this year, especially in “mixed public sentiment”.

“In this regard, there has to be a decision by every business in terms of… how they should be able to deliver their messages to the public from [their] own company [perspectives], he told reporters.

Safety concerns

Organizers will review the decision to allow stakeholders to enter the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony, which is scheduled for July 23, Seiko Hashimoto, head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, said earlier this month.
But in some cases, companies have already decided for themselves. Monday, Procter & Gamble (PG), another big sponsor of the Olympics, has confirmed that its executives will not attend the event later this week.

“As you can imagine, this is a very dynamic situation and we are making informed decisions based on the best data and information we have to keep everyone safe,” a spokesperson told CNN Business. “As such, we have decided not to send anyone from P&G to the opening ceremony.”

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Panasonic (PCRFF), who is also one of the Olympics’ biggest partners, told CNN Business on Tuesday that CEO Yuki Kusumi would not be in attendance either.

“Our policy is to allow our executives to enter only when necessary for business,†said Airi Minobe, a spokesperson for the company.

Minobe added that “events organized by our company during the Olympics will be held online or canceled”, while “participation in joint projects with other companies is currently under consideration.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that while Toyota will not be running any Tokyo Games-related commercials in Japan, the company’s North American division will move forward with plans for its own advertising campaign in the United States.

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Bryan L. Lawrence
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