Sympathy for airbag victims

JAPANESE auto-parts maker Takata yesterday expressed its condolences to the victims of its faulty airbags, which have been linked to at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries around the world, but stopped short of offering a full apology. “We offer our condolences to those who lost their lives and to those who suffered injuries,” Shigehisa Takada, the chairman and chief executive of Takata, said at the company’s last annual shareholder meeting as a listed company. The meeting came a day after Takata, facing tens of billions of dollars in costs and liabilities following almost a decade of recalls and lawsuits, said it had filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the US. As part of the arrangements, it will be largely acquired for $1.6 billion (R20.7bn) by Key Safety Systems.