WASHINGTON -- Amid a phalanx of cameras, the president of Toyota has arrived for a congressional hearing where he is apologizing for driver fears over the safety of the automaker's cars and trucks, according to The Associated Press.

Still photographers and television cameramen recorded his every move as 53-year-old Akio Toyoda entered a jammed House committee room, initially took a seat and then stood up and took an oath to tell the truth.

Toyoda, the grandson of the Japanese company's founder, apologized publicly for the safety problems and deaths that have been linked to unintended acceleration cases in Toyotas. The company has recalled 8.5 million vehicles worldwide.

Toyoda says his company focused too much at times on expanding its sales in the United States at the expense of quality and safety