In Japan many believe the Congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls are part of conspiracy to help prop up General Motors Co., which the government bailed out of bankruptcy last year, becoming the majority shareholder. The evidence suggests otherwise, and top Toyota executives have sought to debunk such speculation. Even so, "the conspiracy theory on these Toyota hearings is alive and well in Japan," said Jeffrey Kingston, a professor at Temple University in Japan. "Conspiracy theories don't deal with the facts, but there's a comfort factor among the Japanese public in believing that Japan is being made the scapegoat for U.S. economic problems."