Inherited Philosophy

"Seeing that person happy is what gives me happiness."

Soichiro Honda

Immediately after the Second World War, Soichiro Honda came up with the idea of adding an engine
to the bicycles that were a common mode of transport at the time.The bicycle engine that he
developed out of consideration for his wife, who had to travel long distances every day to buy
groceries, was well received, and in no time, it had spread around the world.

Honda’s Origin

Honda’s Values

Human-Centric Thinking

Since its founding, Honda has continually strived to make products that delight as many people as possible, in keeping with its desire to be useful to people and society and expand the possibilities of people's lives.Always central to this thinking is people. Honda believes in the potential of people.

Honda Philosophy

Separation and Independence of R&D Division

In 1960, with an aim to create new value by exploring uncharted domains, Honda Motor Co., Ltd's research and development department broke off to establish Honda R&D Co., Ltd. as an independent research and development subsidiary.In the years since, Honda R&D has continued to embody Honda's principles while thoroughly pursuing intrinsic value, and taking on the challenges of creating new value by researching values that especially place people at the center.

Research and
Development

Inherited Words and Culture

The beliefs, words of the founder, and the corporate culture handed down the generations throughout Honda’s history.

Let's Think, "What Can I Do for
Society and for Others?"

Honda founder Soichiro Honda urged us to think, "What
can I do for society and for others?" In other words, this
strong determination asks how we can keep our
aspirations high and maintain a burning passion for
realizing these aspirations. To be useful to society and
share joy with many stakeholders, we will continue
anticipating the needs of the times and contribute to
advancing a mobility society leveraging our unique
technologies.
Utilize Uniqueness Not Difference

Honda believes “there is no difference among people,
there is only uniqueness, in the abilities of each
individual." Put simply, it is more important to
demonstrate the capabilities of each person than
comparing the superiority of his or her strengths with
those of others. To maximize capabilities as an
organization, we believe that it is crucial to recognize
each person's individuality and make efforts to bring
out such special qualities to the fullest.
Carry Our Own Torch

Since its founding, Honda has continuously been a
company which has "carried the torch with our own
hands." In other words, Honda will walk its own path
while exploring new paths where no person has yet set
foot, opening unexplored lands overgrown with thorns,
brightly burning "the torch of great ambition" and
holding the torch on its own.
Getting Rid of “No Play, No Errors”

Doing nothing through fear of failure prevents
progress.
Something new is always learned by overcoming, or
even failing, challenges.
In fact, inaction through timidity can be seen as
digression.
Honda frowns upon inaction through caution, and
instead values the challenging spirit and action.
Take the Hardest Road

We have continued to take on challenges, no matter
how difficult they may seem, to fulfill our aspirations,
thinking outside the box and making the "impossible"
happen.
Waigaya

"Waigaya" is Honda's unique culture of open and frank discussions about "dreams" and "ideal work styles," regardless of age or position.Instead of being venues for compromise or coordination to reach consensus, Waigaya sessions are an opportunity to create new values and concepts by thoroughly exchanging opinions in a serious and honest manner.Many of Honda's innovations, such as industry firsts and world firsts, have been born from deepening substantive discussions through Waigaya.
SED development system

The SED development system is the system guiding Honda's approach to product development.The "S" stands for Sales & Service, the "E" for Engineering, and the "D" for Development. This framework was adopted in 1973 with the aim of having these three divisions coordinate organically to develop products that delight and satisfy customers. The SED development system is implemented in every product field, motorcycles, automobiles and power products, and is an essential part of product development at Honda.
A00

The first thing discussed when a Honda project is launched is, "what kind of world is this work trying to realize?" One might call it a concept or guideline to ensure that we never waver until the very end. At Honda, we call this "A00." Whenever we hit a wall or have a disagreement, we always go back to it and use it as the basis for all our decisions.