It has been 40 years since Honda built the Aoyama Bldg. as its global head office. Amid the continued rapid transformation of society and industry, Honda continues striving to be a “company society wants to exist” into the future. To fulfill this vision, Honda has been carefully considering various approaches to establish a global head office function that will serve as a “hub for transformation and communication that fosters innovation.” In September 2023, Honda decided to proceed with the plan to reconstruct Aoyama Bldg. into a new building, which will enable Honda to realize this vision, with target completion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2031.
The fountainhead of Honda innovations has been the “Waigaya (Y-gaya)” process, a unique communication culture of Honda, in which individual associates transcend their respective roles and positions, and engage in vigorous exchanges of their opinions that yields higher results. Since the temporary relocation of the head office function to Toranomon in Tokyo in May, Honda has been adopting a “one-floor” style of office layout, with associates working in one space on one floor, instead of spread across multiple floors. It has become evident that this office layout has strengthened connections among associates and facilitated more diverse members to come together and engage in more dynamic Waigaya discussions, which has begun generating ideas for a wide range of future innovations.
In light of these factors, Honda reconsidered the optimal office conditions for its new global head office, and came to the conclusion that it is the best to relocate its head office to the Yaesu District Redevelopment Area, which includes the former site of the Honda Yaesu Building where the Honda global head office was located from 1960 to 1974. When relocated to the Yaesu District Redevelopment Area, the size of each office floor will be approximately 6.8 times larger than that of the Aoyama Bldg. and approximately 1.8 times larger compared to the current office in Toranomon, whereby Honda will strive to achieve significant enhancement in productivity and new value creation.
For Honda, Yaesu is a place of special significance, as it was the location of the first operation base where the company strived to establish a presence in Tokyo, began taking on challenges to become a global brand, and laid the foundation for what Honda has become today. Moreover, the Yaesu District has been considered one of the world’s most renowned business districts, serving as a hub for cutting-edge technology and information, with its proximity to Tokyo Station providing excellent access both domestically and internationally. Currently, redevelopment projects are underway across the district, and further enhancement of urban city functions and services is expected in the future.
Regarding the Aoyama Bldg., after thorough consideration of the traditional Honda approach to building design as well as the current business environment surrounding Honda, the company decided to transfer a portion of its ownership of the building and land of Aoyama Bldg. to Mitsui Fudosan Residential. The site of Aoyama Bldg. served as the second global head office building owned by Honda in Tokyo for approximately 40 years since 1985, and also housed Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama to invite the public to see and experience Honda products and technologies, and it will remain a place of deep significance for Honda. Following the partial transfer, Honda and Mitsui Fudosan Residential will jointly construct a new building on the site of Aoyama Bldg. Once completed, Honda is planning to make use of part of the new building, and will explore a range of ideas and opportunities to make it a venue to further enhance Honda brand value.