1. Profile of Mr. Hideyuki Honda
Mr. Honda graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, in 1962. He succeeded his father as the president of his family enterprise, a manufacturer of glass products and window sashes. He then joined a window sash manufacturer affiliated with Mitsui & Co., Ltd., where he worked in R&D for five years. From there, he launched his own business manufacturing testing equipment. The company grew into one of the most successful and trusted providers of testing solutions in the country, noted for its wind-resistance testing equipment, boundary layer wind tunnels, and insulation testing equipment. Currently, Mr. Honda is actively involved in entrepreneurship training and business incubation activities as head of the Osaka branch of Venture Enterprise Center (VEC).

2. Lecture Summary
(1) Mr. Honda's Achievements
Mr. Honda invented a flow control technology which had been used for wind tunnels（「風洞の実績を培った独自の「流れ作業技術」を応用して」は、「wind tunnelsの分野で実績のあるflow control technologyを応用して。。。」と解釈して訳しております), and, at his new company, applied it to creating a range of products for testing window sashes and curtain wall systems for resistance to air leaks, water penetration, and story drift. His company became a niche leader with these products, and went on to build large boundary layer wind tunnels capable of simulating natural winds, to be used for such purposes as determining the wind climate of a building site and evaluating the aerodynamic efficiency of a car body, and an anemometer that took advantage of germanium to measure the speed of light winds (「ゲルマニウム風速計」に相当する英語が見つからなかったため、「ゲルマニウムを利用した風速計」と解釈しました), the first of its kind in the world.

(2) Launching a New Venture
Mr. Honda points out that a change in the economic environment or a revision to the law can give birth to a whole new market, which he says represents a great business opportunity that any aspiring entrepreneur should look into. Leaders of existing small- and medium-sized enterprises should also consider launching a new venture when this happens, he says. Mr. Honda suggests that in working to build a business model to take advantage of such an opportunity, corporate leaders may benefit from investing in and partnering with a startup that has promising ideas to share, in exchange for financial and marketing assistance.

(3) Keys to Second Venture Success
Mr. Honda suggests three general rules to follow when considering a new venture.

1.	Be clear on what kind of value your new venture is supposed to offer. Make sure that it is something that people will appreciate.
2.	Be willing to ask for and listen to others' opinions rather than cling to your own, which represents just one of the numerous available viewpoints.
3.	Think long-term: try to see beyond the present and anticipate what can happen over the next 10 to 20 years.

All of the above are very important when planning the launch of a new business.

Mr. Honda reminds the audience that one of the advantages of starting a new venture at an existing company, as opposed to setting up a new company to pursue the venture, is that the capital and marketing experience are already there to draw on. He cautions, however, that it is important to make sure that the company has sufficient resources to support the new business. He also stresses the importance of gaining the understanding of all the employees for the move by explaining to them in clear terms why the company needs to launch a new venture, and why now.

One of the goals in running a business should be to stay in business. This would entail looking far into the future and establishing a virtuous cycle that will keep the company alive and growing for the next 10 to 20 years. This in turn requires that the company leader correctly assess the unfolding changes in the business environment and respond to them with viable strategies.

(4) A Dream: Underground Air Transportation System
Mr. Honda dreams of building a tunnel for an "underground air transportation system" connecting Tokyo and Osaka. He explains that the system would use a kind of aircraft that floats 10 to 50 centimeters above the surface by taking advantage of the ground effect. Experiments have shown that the craft is technically viable and that it could achieve high speeds with little energy loss. Mr. Honda lists four distinct advantages offered by an underground air transportation system: (1) terminals could be built at easily accessible locations, such as directly below large railway stations; (2) there would be no danger of the flying craft losing altitude and crashing to the ground; (3) services would not be affected by weather conditions; and (4) the system would require little energy to operate.

3. Comments from Participants
Mr. Honda struck us as a true leader, one who is equipped with a unique perspective and an ability to make instant decisions. His attitude toward work, meanwhile, seemed to be characterized by sincerity, faith, and selfless devotion, as well as openness to different opinions. Given these qualities, it seems natural that he has been able to earn the cooperation of the University of Tokyo team who helped with the design and development of his wind tunnel project. We were also impressed by the fact that Mr. Honda was actively involved in the training of aspiring entrepreneurs while also pursuing his own ambitious dream, even after having reached great heights of success.

We are truly grateful for the opportunity to meet with such a respectable gentleman, an embodiment of true leadership and an inspiring role model.