"They will probably
have an international law firm come in with a foreign lawyer and ask him possible questions in English, to test if he can understand them and answer them properly," says Kuniyoshi Shirai, executive
adviser at ACE Consulting. "Content will be important, so he will undergo tough checks to see if his comments are conveyed accurately."
Although Toyoda graduated from Babson College
in Massachusetts, his English is tentative. "His use of English has been his way of showing sincerity, of communicating directly with the audience, but this is a crisis situation," says crisis
management consultant Masato Takahashi. "He should have just spoken Japanese, and he should stick to Japanese from now on, too. It'll be safer and leave less room for mistakes."
A Toyota spokeswoman declines comment.
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