NASHVILLE, TN (September 1, 2006)- We at Bridgestone Americas have many advantages over our competitors, one of the most significant of which is the caliber of the individuals who make up our team and our commitment to investing in research and development. Our people possess a level of depth that allows us to respond to changing circumstances and needs as few in our industry can. We are also part of a global network of companies with many outstanding engineers, chemists and designers, upon whose expertise we can draw. And most importantly, we have our own strong research and development team that delivers great results. Today I am announcing a change in our Akron-based Development Group with mixed emotions... a change that will have us say goodbye to a friend and leader, but also one that will welcome another strong member of the Bridgestone global team who will provide continued strong leadership to an outstanding organization.

Effective October 16, Hank Hara, Executive Vice President, Tire Development and Technology, will be returning to Bridgestone Japan to assume new responsibilities as Vice President and Officer, Original Equipment Tire Sales and Motorsports. In this important position, he will be a key team leader within BSJ’s OE sales group. He will also be responsible for BSJ’s motorsports programs, including the ultimate in racing, F1, as well as Motocross and Moto GP. I would like to thank Hank on behalf of the entire Bridgestone Americas team for all of his hard work and efforts during his years at Bridgestone Americas. Many of you may not know this, but Hank has had two assignments in Akron, for total of eleven years of service to BSA. He has contributed to building our strong competitive advantage in the area of tire development and has always exhibited a remarkable passion for our overall business. We are sorry to see him leave.

While we are always sad to see a member of our team move on, I am very pleased to announce that Yutaka Yamaguchi, currently Director, Tire Development at BSJ, will be joining the ATC team and will be promoted to Executive Vice President, Tire Development and Technology, effective October 16. He will also be elected to the Boards of Directors of both BFNT and BSAH as of that date.

Please let me share some information about Hank and Yutaka. Hank began his career with Bridgestone in 1977 in the Material Development Department at the Kodira Tech Center after graduating from Hiroshima University with a Masters degree in solid state physics. Hank also has a Bachelors degree from Shinshu University in the same area of study. He has spent many years working on OE tire development and in 1992 was assigned as Technical Assistant to the Vice President of Technology in Akron. Hank returned to Japan in 1998 as the Section Manager, Export Tire Development and in 1999 assumed new responsibilities as Manager of Global Product Planning. He returned to the U.S. in late 2000 and assumed his current responsibilities in January, 2001

Yutaka, a veteran of tire development as well as international business, has held his current position as Director, Tire Development, since 2005. After earning his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Waseda University in 1977, he began his career with BSJ in passenger tire development. In 1985, he joined the Bridgestone Hamburg office, returning to Japan in 1988. He has a broad background in tire development, and is known for his expertise in passenger tires.

Please join me in congratulating Hank on his new position at BSJ and in wishing him much success in his new job. Please also join me in welcoming Yutaka to BSA. We will be issuing a press release announcing this change later this morning. In addition, BSJ has issued a press release in Tokyo announcing Hank’s appointment, as well as several other management changes. Attached to this email are both our release and BSJ’s communication. Please share this information to your staff as appropriate.

Finally, I know that I can count on you to give Yutaka your full support and cooperation as he assumes his new responsibilities and continues to keep our company at the forefront of global tire development.