Takata, automakers to report airbag recall plans next week: govt

[TOKYO] Takata Corp and Japanese automakers must inform the government of their plans to expand a recall of potentially defective air bags by May 20, Transport Minister Keichi Ishii said on Tuesday.

The Nikkei newspaper reported that the Japanese government had notified domestic automakers to recall an additional 7 million vehicles installed with Takata air bags, which can inflate violently and have been blamed for 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries, mainly in the United States.

US transport authorities last week announced a recall of up to 40 million more of the company's air bags, on top of the more than 50 million that have already been recalled globally.

REUTERS