Japan Automotive Hall of Fame

Concept

In the Western world, it is customary for those who have excelled in their chosen field - be it sports, art, medical research, industry, et cetera - to be held up and admired. Their achievements, more often than not, are recognized in a Hall of Fame. A person’s induction into such an establishment is indeed a celebrated accolade, on a par with having a building or road named in their honor.

In America, on the site of the Henry Ford estate in Dearborn, there is an Automotive Hall of Fame, containing memorabilia and information on those inducted. In effect, the AHF is a museum of people, rather than a more conventional museum featuring various products or works of art.

In the year 2000, an equivalent Hall of Fame was established here in Tokyo, called the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (or JAHFA), based at the National Science Museum. Since 2001, each year, five or six people have been inducted in an annual award ceremony held at the museum.

With our plans to involve other museums to help spread the word (as in Kumamoto, where a dedicated display was opened earlier this year), the Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame (a registered NPO) will serve a useful role, informing people of the outstanding achievements made over the years by the motor industry pioneers and their successors. Of even greater importance, it will hopefully inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

Inductees

2001

* Kiichiro Toyoda: Founder of Toyota
* Soichiro Honda: Founder of Honda
* Takeo Fujisawa: Business manager of Honda
* Jiro Yanase: Car importer of merit
* Osamu Hirao: Scholar/Doctor of Engineering
* Seijiro Ishibashi: Founder of Bridgestone

2002

* Osamu Suzuki: President of Suzuki
* Kazuo Kumabe: Vice-President of Toyota
* Junya Toyokawa: Founder of Hakuyosha/Otomo
* Masujiro Hashimoto: Founder of Kaishinsha/DAT
* Kunimitsu Takahashi: Racing driver and motorcyclist

2003

* Tsuneji Matsuda: President of Mazda
* Shotaro Kamiya: Sales network specialist
* Genshichi Asahara: Car technology specialist
* Masaichi Kondo: R & D pioneer
* Michihiro Nishida: Safety campaigner
* Yusuke Kaji: Advertising specialist

2004

* Carlos Ghosn: President of Nissan
* Tadashi Kume: President of Honda
* Shozo Maeda: Car museum founder
* Tatsuo Hasegawa: Toyota development engineer
* Mineo Yamamoto: Scholar/Doctor of Engineering
* Shinroku Momose: Subaru development engineer

2005

* Yasusada Nobumoto: Auto parts specialist
* Yoshio Nakamura: Honda development engineer
* Shinichiro Sakurai: Nissan development engineer
* Kiyoshi Tomizuka: Two-stroke engine specialist
* Heitatsu Igarashi: Motoring historian

2006

* Nobuhiko Kawamoto: President of Honda
* Hirosuke Furusho: Safety specialist
* Toshiro Seki: Diesel engine specialist
* Atsushi Watari: NVH specialist
* Yasusaburo Kobori: Airbag pioneer

2007

* Taiichi Ohno: Manufacturing specialist
* Kenichi Yamamoto: President of Mazda
* Takeshi Nakatsuka: R & D pioneer
* Hachiro Ogihara: Tooling specialist
* Fujio Uruno: Safety specialist
* Kenshichiro Suzuki: Car test magazine pioneer

Other entries

In addition to the induction of men and women who have made outstanding contributions in the automotive field, JAHFA introduced annual awards for the best domestic car, import car, design, technology, and historic car. To date, the following vehicles and designs have been singled out for recognition:

2001

* Best domestic car: Honda Fit; Toyota Estima Hybrid
* Best domestic design Toyota Camry; Nissan Primera

2002

* Best domestic car: Mazda Atenza; Honda Accord
* Best domestic design: Toyota Ist; Nissan Cube

2003

* Best domestic car: Mazda RX-8
* Best domestic design: Toyota Prius
* Best technology: Honda V6 engine
* Best import car: Volkswagen Touareg
* Best import design: Porsche Cayenne
* Historic car of Japan: Mazda Cosmo 110S

2004

* Best domestic car: Toyota Crown/Majesta
* Best domestic design: Toyota Porte
* Best domestic technology: Honda Legend
* Best import car: Maserati Quattroporte
* Best import design: Audi A6
* Best import technology: Volkswagen Golf
* Historic car of Japan: Subaru 360

2005

* Best domestic car: Honda Civic
* Best import car: Peugeot 407
* Best design: BMW 3-series
* Best technology: Lexus GS430
* Historic car of Japan: Honda Civic

2006

* Best domestic car: Lexus LS460
* Best import car: Alfa Romeo Brera
* Best design: Mitsubishi i
* Best technology: Audi TT Coupe
* Historic car of Japan: Toyota Crown

2007

* Best domestic car: Honda Fit
* Best import car: Volkswagen Golf Variant
* Best design: Mazda Demio
* Best technology: Nissan Skyline
* Historic car of Japan: Daihatsu Midget