Welcome to the second part of a two-part series covering a conversation that Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda had with Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Akira Yoshino, honorary fellow at Asahi Kasei Corporation, on February 14, 2020 at the office of the president in Toyota Motor Corporation’s Tokyo Head Office. Part Two carries on from Part One, where the two talked about episodes from their youth, finding some common ground; in Part Two, the two touch on topics such as the challenges of making batteries for BEVs, what lies next for automobiles and what a country like Japan needs to do to maintain their lead in technology.

Can Dr. Yoshino, who’s life work included helping to tackle environmental issues through the development of lithium-ion batteries, get along with car guy “Morizo,” who describes himself as “a man with gasoline running through my veins”? How does Dr. Yoshino, who has seen first-hand how the world has changed thanks to the IT revolution, see car services for the next generation of vehicles in a CASE and MaaS era?

As their discussion draws to a close, look for the interesting connection that Akio draws about Dr. Yoshino and his own family.

Video Time Index
Difficult questions from Akio to Dr. Yoshino
What are others thinking now?
Dr. Yoshino’s idea on next-generation ‘Mobility Services’
The moment when everything changes suddenly
Where there is a chance to win
If I was able to speak with my great-grandfather

Profile of Dr. Akira Yoshino:
https://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/r_and_d/interview/yoshino/profile.html