英文版全文：
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda came here to mend fences. But first, he and lawmakers had to bridge an ocean of confusion.
U.S. Rep. Edolphus Towns (D., N.Y.) asked whether Toyota will offer in all its cars a 'brake override' to make it less likely a vehicle would keep accelerating if the driver hits the brakes.
Mr. Toyoda conferred with his translator. He spoke in Japanese. The translator spoke in English. There followed more Japanese, and more translation. 'Yes or no, that's what I am trying to get to,' Mr. Towns interrupted in frustration.
It was an iconic moment in U.S.-Japanese history: Mr. Toyoda, boss of the most successful car maker in the world, the company that bested Detroit over the past 25 years and forced it to change its own flawed ways, had come to humble himself before the American Congress.
And so it went for a three-hour session in which Mr. Toyoda insisted there was nothing wrong with the company's electronic throttles, promised to meet with a professor who claimed there was, apologized for accidents involving Toyota vehicles and endured heated and at times hostile questions.
The hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was the second of three planned by Congress on Toyota's safety crisis, which has prompted the Japanese car maker to recall more than eight million vehicles world-wide for unintended acceleration, brake problems and other issues.
Mr. Toyoda came to Washington with one overarching goal: rebuild the confidence of American consumers whose business has fueled the phenomenal success of the company founded by his grandfather.
The 53-year-old Mr. Toyoda took responsibility for the company's problems. 'I myself, as well as Toyota, am not perfect,' Mr. Toyoda said in his opening remarks, speaking in English as he read from a statement. 'We never run away from our problems or pretend we don't notice them. I am deeply sorry for any accident that any Toyota driver has experienced.'
Whether Mr. Toyoda's performance won over rattled consumers won't be clear for weeks or months. But he did earn some respect from lawmakers.
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