祝ダニエル・グッゲンハイム賞受賞記念！少年時代からスゴかった【Mr.ホンダジェット藤野道格氏 Part3】が語る、紙一重の差【米倉誠一郎の部屋 ～ POWER TO THE PEOPLE ～】

Currently based in the United States, Michimasa Fujino, aka "Mr. HondaJet," is a recipient of the Daniel Guggenheim Medal, the aviation industry's most prestigious award, previously shared with fellow recipients such as the Wright Brothers (younger brother Orville Wright), Lindbergh, and William Boeing (founder of Boeing). He recently returned to Japan for the first time in a long while! He even made an effort to stop by Seiichiro Yonekura's room! (Just like Professor Yonekura!) Mr. Fujino has been active primarily in the US market as the development manager (President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company) of the HondaJet, which has sold over 230 aircraft to date and is owned and used by Hollywood superstars like Tom Cruise. When we met and spoke, we found his incredibly humble and charming personality to be captivating. He responded to Professor Yonekura's barrage of questions with a mix of humor and expertise, making his explanations easy to understand. He talks about his childhood love of design and cars (his graduation essay is a masterpiece; the story is included in Part 3), his time at Honda working in the aircraft division, when things weren't always smooth sailing, and the many struggles he faced in developing the HondaJet, as well as production and sales. He also shares stories of Soichiro Honda, whose dream was to build airplanes, his wife, and business discussions with Uniqlo's Yanai, as heartwarming anecdotes spring up one after the other... It was the longest recording time to date, but the time flew by in a flash, and it was a fun time. This is a special episode that we hope as many people as possible will watch! And all of our staff are looking forward to the Daniel Guggenheim Medal ceremony in the United States in mid-May! ■ Planning & Production: Business Forum Office, Inc. ■ Latest Event Information: https://www.b-forum.net/ ■ Recording Studio "b.studio": https://www.bstudio-bf.net [Conversation Concept] An unconventional "Old Professor" invites today's most prominent guests from various fields to reveal the hidden efforts, failures, luck, and humanity behind their successes—things you don't usually hear about! In these times of stagnation, we bring you, the people who will shoulder Japan's future, the power, energy, and courage to make you think, "This world isn't so bad after all!" ~ POWER TO THE PEOPLE ♪ Guest: Mr. HondaJet, Michimasa Fujino Biography Graduated from the Department of Aeronautics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, in 1984. Doctor of Engineering. He became President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company in 2006, an Executive Officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 2009, a Managing Executive Officer in 2016, and a Technical Advisor in 2022. He is a Member of the NAE (National Academy of Engineering), a Fellow of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), a Fellow of the RAeS (Royal Aeronautical and Astronautical Society), and a Fellow of the SAE. He is also a member of the Charles Draper Award selection committee. After joining Honda Motor Co., he became involved in aircraft research, creating a variety of cutting-edge technologies such as over-wing engine placement and high-speed natural laminar flow wings, and developing and commercializing the HondaJet, a global best-selling small business jet. For his innovative aircraft development, he became the first Japanese to receive the AIAA's Aircraft Design Award and the SAE International's Kelly Johnson Award. He also received the ICAS (International Council of Aeronautical Sciences) Aviation Innovation Award, making him the first aircraft designer in the world to receive all three awards simultaneously. In 2021, he received the AIAA Reed Award, the highest honor in the field of aviation, and the Elmer A. Sperry Award for his contributions to the development of transportation technology. In 2024, he became the first Japanese recipient of the Guggenheim Medal, a recognition given to awards such as the Wright Brothers, Boeing, and Lindbergh. Furthermore, in recognition of his contributions to the U.S. aviation industry, he was awarded the Living Legends of Aviation Hall of Fame, a designation shared with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. In Japan, he has received the Japan Industrial Technology Grand Prize (Prime Minister's Award) and the Good Design Award Gold Prize in the Industrial Design category. ■ Profile of Seiichiro Yonekura Currently, he is a Professor at Digital Hollywood University Graduate School, a Professor Emeritus at Hitotsubashi University, President of the Creative Response Social Innovation School, and Editor-in-Chief of the Hitotsubashi Business Review. His professional history includes serving as an Assistant Professor, Lecturer, and Associate Professor at the Hitotsubashi University Innovation Research Center (1982-2017) and a Professor at Hosei University Graduate School of Innovation Management (2017-2024). Outside of school, he has served as head of Sony's Strategic Planning Office ...