Toyota to recall Prius cars in Japan: report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> has decided to recall its new Prius hybrid cars sold in Japan to fix a software glitch related to braking, a Japanese newspaper said on Sunday.

The world's biggest automaker had already told its car dealers about the decision, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

Toyota was expected to announce the recall of its latest version of the Prius early next week after it consults the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, the newspaper said.

Toyota had considered voluntarily fixing the cars but had chosen a recall to restore public trust, the newspaper said.

Safety regulators in both the United States and Japan are new investigating breaking problems with the Prius cars, Japan's top-selling car last year and an icon of green design that has lifted the public image of Toyota.

Since its launch last May, Toyota has sold over 300,000 of the newest version of the Prius worldwide, including around 200,000 in Japan, 103,200 in the United States and 29,000 in Europe.

(Reporting by Rika Otsuka; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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