TOKYO, July 29 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor ( TM )

Chairman Akio Toyoda said he may not be reelected as a director

if shareholder support for him continues to fall at the pace it

did this year, according to an interview published on Monday.

Shareholder backing for Toyoda slid to 72% at the company's

annual general meeting last month, following proxy advisers'

recommendations to vote against his reelection. That compares to

the support of 85% in 2023.

Last month's result marked the lowest support rating ever

for a director in Toyota's ( TM ) history, the 68-year-old grandson of

the company's founder said in an interview by the automaker's

own news outlet.

"If it continues at this pace, I can't be a director next

year," Toyoda said.

His support rating among foreign institutional investors was

particularly weak at 34%. Ahead of the meeting, proxy advisers

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis both

took issue with the way Toyota ( TM ) has dealt with certification

testing violations.

Toyoda's support among domestic institutional investors

stood at around 55%, compared to 70% or more in the previous

year.

That indicated half of them were asking him to step down

because of his behaviour over the past year, Toyoda said during

the interview.

The weaker support among institutional investors contrasted

sharply with a nearly 99% approval rating among retail

investors.