Honda Vice President Resigns Due to Inappropriate Behavior

KatadataOTO – Honda announced the resignation of Shinji Aoyama, Executive Vice President and Representative Executive Officer. The decision was made after he faced allegations of inappropriate behavior.

The Japanese company stated that the inappropriate behavior by Shinji Aoyama occurred at a meeting outside of working hours. However, they did not specify the nature of the incident.

“It is deeply regrettable that an individual positioned as a leader in the company's management and expected to be an example of respect for human rights has become the subject of allegations of behavior contrary to these principles,” the company wrote in its official statement.

The incident was already under the company's attention and an audit was underway. A decision by the board of directors had even been scheduled.

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However, Aoyama apparently chose to resign before the decision was made. 

"The Company's Board of Directors has decided that it is appropriate for Aoyama to resign from his position," it said.

Furthermore, Toshihiro Mibe, Director, President and Representative Executive Officer of Honda, will also return 20 percent of his salary for two months due to the gravity of this issue.

“The Company sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the harassment and the significant concern it has caused to all stakeholders,” it added.

Even without this case, Honda is actually one of the Japanese automotive companies that often receives attention. This is because they have conducted several large-scale recalls in various countries.

In January 2025 alone, Honda Indonesia recalled 11,652 units due to faulty components in the Civic, Civic Type R, CR-V, and Accord.

Of that total, 7,632 units were due to a faulty Steering Gearbox that produced an abnormal noise. The component replacement process is estimated to take about 1–4 hours.

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Next is the High Pressure Fuel Pump component, which could potentially cause a fuel odor in the cabin. A total of 4,020 vehicles were identified in the program.

The inspection or replacement process for the High Pressure Fuel Pump is estimated to take about 1 hour.