Key Takeaways
- Honda Sun Co., Ltd., a Honda-affiliated company based in Oita, Japan that employs people with disabilities, is entering agriculture as a new business venture beyond its contracted manufacturing work.
- The initiative gained momentum after a 2024 meeting with Junki Hirakawa, representative of ENOWA YUFUIN, a farm-to-table auberge in the same region, which Honda Sun's then-president Kamada described as a “fateful” encounter.
- The connection was facilitated by Toshiaki Hirose, former captain of Japan's national rugby team and representative of HiRAKU Inc., who was introduced to Honda Sun through a network of companies sharing the Taiyo no Ie employment philosophy.
- Profitability and stable sales channels were identified as the primary barriers preventing Honda Sun from acting on five years of agricultural exploration.
- Honda Sun is part of a broader network of companies — including Omron Taiyo, Sony Taiyo, and Denso Taiyo — committed to inclusive employment for people with disabilities.
Honda Sun Co., Ltd., a Honda-affiliated company based in Oita Prefecture, Japan, is moving into agriculture as a new business line, extending beyond the contracted work it has historically performed for Honda. The company, known for its commitment to employing people with disabilities, had spent five years exploring agricultural opportunities before a series of chance connections provided the commercial pathway it had been seeking.
The Barrier: Profitability and Sales Channels
Honda Sun's interest in agriculture was shaped by two local factors: a workforce with strong ties to inclusive employment practices, and an abundance of idle farmland across Oita Prefecture. Despite this alignment, the company held back for years due to concerns about commercial viability. Producing crops is only part of the challenge — securing reliable sales channels and generating stable revenue are what determine whether an agricultural venture can sustain itself. That hurdle kept Honda Sun from committing to the sector, even as interest in farm-to-table and local food systems was growing in Japan.
A Network Built Around Inclusive Employment
Honda Sun is one of several companies operating under the Taiyo no Ie (house of the sun) philosophy, a shared vision for building workplaces around people with disabilities. Others in this network include Omron Taiyo, Sony Taiyo, Mitsubishi Corporation Taiyo, Denso Taiyo, Omron Kyoto Taiyo, and Fsas Technologies Taiyo. These companies meet regularly to exchange perspectives on disability employment and inclusive business practices.
It was through this network that a pivotal introduction occurred. At a 2021 meeting, then-president Kamada was connected with Toshiaki Hirose, former captain of Japan's national rugby team and representative of HiRAKU Inc., an organization active in social contribution work spanning sport, food, and disability inclusion. Hirose also serves as Vice Chairman of the Japan Wheelchair Rugby Federation.
The Partnership That Changed the Trajectory
After visiting Honda Sun in November 2022, Hirose returned in January 2024 alongside Junki Hirakawa, the owner of ENOWA YUFUIN — a prominent farm-to-table auberge in Yufuin, Yufu City, within the same Oita region as Honda Sun. Built around a “botanical retreat” concept, ENOWA YUFUIN grows its own produce and serves ingredients harvested on the day of dining. Hirakawa's operation represents exactly the kind of premium local food demand channel that could anchor Honda Sun's agricultural ambitions commercially.
Kamada later described the meeting with Hirakawa as fateful, saying that after five years of exploring agriculture, he had always preferred asking how something could be done rather than why it could not. He cited a Soichiro Honda principle of trying things first, and a regional dialect phrase — “Yaramaika,” meaning roughly “let's give it a try” — as the spirit driving Honda Sun's decision to move forward. The response from Hirose and Hirakawa during that visit gave Kamada the confidence to proceed.
