TOKYO — With a $1 billion fine and a criminal guilty plea, Takata, the Japanese auto parts maker, took a major step on Friday toward putting the scandal over its deadly airbags behind it.

Next up: a sale of the financially hobbled company. And in a turnabout for Japan, Takata’s new owners could be from abroad — underlining a shift in the country’s once-hostile attitude toward outside buyers.

American officials said on Friday that Takata had agreed to plead guilty to charges of wire fraud for providing false data and would pay a $1 billion fine. They also charged three Takata executives with fabricating test data to mask a potentially fatal airbag defect.

The unexpected charges against the executives were a rare escalation by American prosecutors pursuing a company, a reminder that Takata and its executives could still be dealing with the scandal for some time to come.