Philanthropic Initiatives in

Japan

Highlights

• The Children’s Idea Contest
  In the Children’s Idea Contest, elementary school children from all over Japan get to dream up their own visions of the future. The contest was started in 2002 to help children experience the joy of dreaming and the delight of creating.
  The grand prize winner and the runners-up win a visit to their schools from ASIMO, the humanoid robot - Honda’s vision of the future. more

• Student Formula Challenge
  The Student Formula SAE Competition of Japan is an educational program organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE) to give budding engineers hands-on experience in designing and building their own formula race cars. Vehicle performance is not the sole criterion of excellence. Cost-benefit analysis and presentation skills are also taken into consideration. Honda’s involvement is not limited to sponsorship.The Honda Meister Klub, a volunteer group of retired Honda engineers, provides technical instruction and support, teaching the student-participants the basics of the skills and processes involved in car-making and the set-up and tuning of engines and suspensions.

• Honda Team-based Program
  The imagination to dream up an idea. The creativity to make that idea a reality. That is what we want to foster in our children. It was with this aim that the Honda team-based, live-in research study program was born. The location of the three-day program is Twin Ring Motegi. Children are divided up into teams of ten, and each team holds discussions based on their experiences at the facility. Discussion is facilitated by periodic input from Honda advisors in preparation for the presentations on the final day. This process of experience, discussion and understanding helps guide the children toward new insights.

• Dream Hands
  We want children to experience the fun and excitement of making things with their own hands. That’s why Honda started the Dream Hands program in regions where our facilities are located. Dream Hands is an introductory handicraft program using original Honda cardboard crafts and other simple materials. The program gives kids firsthand experience of the fun of making things. Current and retired Honda associates volunteer their time to assist and guide the children. Honda hopes that participation in this program will help children discover the joy of making things.

• Nature Wagon
  How old is that tree? Why is this flower such a pretty color? Nature’s many mysteries are all around us. That’s why Honda started the Nature Wagon. It’s an environmental learning program on wheels - a van filled with natural objects from the ocean and the forest. The Nature Wagon travels to elementary schools and community centers, bringing nature to the city. Volunteer retired Honda associates teach about the workings of nature and the importance of environmental preservation. Crafts using wood and rocks are introduced, and children are encouraged to explore and discover nature and the environment for themselves.

• Honda Beach Clean-up Project
  Today, one of many environmental problems confronting the entire globe is seashore pollution. A group of current and retired associates assembled a volunteer caravan to work with community authorities to help clean litter from beaches. The program started in May 2006 and features the new towable Beach Cleaner, which is pulled behind a Honda ATV to separate litter from sand.

• Korchin Desert Afforestation in China: The Joyful Forest Project
  About 500 kilometers northeast of Beijing, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, lies the Korchin Desert. This barren land was until 100 years ago a lush, fertile area of forests and grasslands, but over-cultivation and over-grazing have brought on rapid desertification. Honda has set out to help solve this problem. The Joyful Forest Project seeks to cultivate forests in the Korchin Desert, with the ultimate aim of re-establishing habitable areas complete with woodlands and cultivated fields.  more

• Watershed preservation in Japan
  The rivers that provide us fresh water find their sources in the alpine forests that collect and retain water over long periods of time before releasing it toward the sea. Striving to preserve these precious watersheds for future generations, Honda volunteers from facilities throughout Japan are hard at work on forest conservation projects.




• Nature conservation Review Committee Meeting Focusing on Birds of Prey and Forest Concerning a New Test Course Development by Honda Motor
  For the purpose of preserving flora and fauna confirmed to exist at Honda’s new test course project site in Sakura City and adjacent areas, a committee was established to investigate the areas and make suggestions on the environmental policies to the local government and Honda.

• Traffic Safety Caravan
  In order to reach children in their most formative years and give them a chance to master the basics of road safety, Honda started the Traffic Safety Caravan program for pre-school children. One thing that makes the experience so powerful is the participation by members of a professional drama troupe, who do a great job of making learning fun, and therefore effective. The children learn the rules of the road as they play.

• Touch the World
  Tokyo's Minato Ward is home to Honda headquarters and many foreign embassies. Taking advantage of this characteristic, the event Touch the World was launched in 1999 with three to five embassies partnering every year to allow children to meet and experience other nations and cultures. The kids enjoy programs like the "Mini World Tour" where young visitors travel booths representing nations, live performances, and presentations of Japanese culture. The event is organized every year in June at Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama.
  The countries represented at Touch the World invite some inquisitive participants to visit their embassies during the summer school holidays in a special program, "Hello Embassies."