Reclusive Takata Chairman No Help in U.S. Airbag Crisis

Shigehisa Takada

The ultra-low profile of Takata Corp. Chairman Shigehisa Takada is hurting the company's image among investors, notes Bloomberg News.

Takada's last public appearance was at the company's shareholder meeting, which was closed to the media. He issued one statement last month about U.S. recalls of Takata airbag inflators, which have so far expanded to some 8 million vehicles.

Last week Takata, 48, sent his chief financial officer to apologize for the company before the Tokyo stock exchange.

Bloomberg says Takada's seeming lack of engagement with the crisis has fueled investor worries that have driven down the market value of Takata 62% so far this year.