Japan's Kobayashi Pharmaceutical will accelerate efforts to reform its corporate culture marked by workers' reliance on top management, Chairman Yoshihito Ota has said.

A major problem the drug and supplement maker must address is the "strong tendency to depend on top management," seen among its employees, Ota said in a recent interview.

Ota took office in March after being invited from outside the Osaka-based company, following a massive health hazard caused by supplements containing beni kо̄ji red yeast rice ingredients that came to light early last year.