TOKYO (AP) — The head of Toyota Motor Corp. has stepped down as vice president of the organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The committee announced the resignation of Akio Toyoda on Monday. He is expected to be replaced by the president of Panasonic, Kazuhiro Tsuga.
A Tokyo Olympic official told reporters that Toyoda may have been concerned about serving on both committees, since the organizers are seeking support from the business community.
Toyoda said in a statement that he decided to reorganize his roles to intensify his efforts to encourage business support for the 2020 Games. He said he is "looking forward to forging even closer ties between the organizing committee and Japan's business community."
Toyota Motor is a major sponsor of the Olympics.