TOYOTA CITY, Japan  For years, the combined salaries of the president of Toyota Motor and the 38 members of its board have been smaller than the single salary of some top executives at car makers in the United States and elsewhere.

On Thursday, it was announced here, that disparity grew even greater.

At its annual shareholders’ conference, Toyota disclosed that it had docked the pay of its top management by 10 percent to help atone for the company’s recent safety problems, which have led to the recalls of more than nine million vehicles worldwide. The president, Akio Toyoda, and other top executives also forfeited bonuses for the second consecutive year.

Mr. Toyoda, who took the helm of the automaker a year ago, was contrite at the gathering, the first meeting of shareholders since Toyota’s slow handling of the recalls thrust the company into crisis and led to financial penalties levied by the United States government.

“I would like to apologize once again for all the worries we have caused our shareholders,” Mr. Toyoda, grandson of the automaker’s founder, said to the more than 3,000 shareholders who made the trip to Toyota’s headquarters here.