Jackson, Now Protest Mitsubishi

Jesse Jackson and the president of the National Organization for Women said Wednesday they would widen their protest of Mitsubishi Motors Inc. this weekend.

The vow came after a meeting with a top official of the Japanese car manufacturer failed to resolve their concerns over issues involving women and minorities.

The company recently was hit with one of the nation’s largest sexual-harassment suits by the government.

The Rev. Jackson and Patricia Ireland, the head of NOW, who have organized protests at area dealerships and urged consumers not to buy Mitsubishi cars, met with Tokei Takeuchi, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., for about two hours in Chicago.

Both sides described Wednesday’s meeting as “productive.” Jackson and Ireland said they want Takeuchi to urge the head of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Tokyo to convene a meeting with the CEOs of all four U.S.-based Mitsubishi units.