Other members include the Petroleum Association of Japan, the General Insurance Association of Japan, and the Japan Automobile Federation. The Yomiuri ShimbunAkio Toyoda delivers a speech in Tokyo on June 10 after becoming the chairman of the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan. The predecessor of the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan is the Automobile Association, which was established in November 1945, only three months after the end of World War II. Kiichiro Toyoda, grandfather of Akio Toyoda and founder of Toyota Motor, assumed the chairman post of the Automobile Association. “When considering cars from a cultural perspective, I doubt whether they are really contributing to Japan,” Akio said.