Tomikawa
Hello to all our Toyota Times listeners. I’m Yuta Tomikawa. On this episode of Voice-Only Toyota Times News, we look at WORLD ARIGATO FEST.2025, a three-day event that brought together Toyota stakeholders and distributors from around the world as a way to say “Thank you.” 

Toyoda
Those are the usual guests, but this time others took part as well.

Tomikawa
There were also representatives from local governments.

Toyoda
For example, we were joined by the mayor of Jyväskylä, a city in Finland working toward a hydrogen society, as well as carmakers who are our competitors when it comes to selling cars.

Tomikawa
The presidents of Mazda, Suzuki, and Subaru were there side by side, having a great time.

Toyoda
The finance sector might not be a surprise, but I also saw representatives from NTT and KDDI having a friendly chat.

Tomikawa
How interesting.

Toyoda
ARIGATO FEST. is a gathering of people who have answered our call to build the future together. Toyota cannot do it alone, and we wanted them to see our vision for the road ahead. There were investors there, too.

Tomikawa
There were investors from around the world. 

Toyoda
We started off with an IR session, but the interesting thing is how their expressions changed with each passing day. By the end, we were like friends.

Tomikawa
That’s true. I served as the MC, and as everyone was leaving after the event, several of the investors happened to be nearby. When I went over to say goodbye, they were all smiles. They remembered me and said, “We had a great time, thank you. Give our regards to Morizo.”

Toyoda
At the start of the IR session, the mood kind of made me wonder if things were all right.

Tomikawa
Like you’re being sized up.

Toyoda
IR is all about sizing up, evaluating me personally as a manager. I was expecting that, but they responded more quickly than usual.

Normally, IR is just meetings, but afterward they got to see the real thing, didn’t they? And also to hear presentations from other executive members.

I feel as though these three days were woven, layer upon layer, with insights into what Toyota is like, and what Toyota is thinking.

Tomikawa
Investors would find me the next day and say, “Akio’s presentation was fantastic, really inspiring!”

Toyoda
I would understand that from our distributors or dealers. But these were investors.

Tomikawa
Exactly, that came from investors. That’s why it really resonated.

Toyoda
It wasn’t about persuading; in many ways, I think they embraced our vision.

Normally, IR is all about shareholders. This time, it felt more like a stakeholder meeting than a typical IR session.

The reason is that it included not only institutional investors who have financial ownership as shareholders, but also the companies that continue to underpin Toyota’s “best in town” approach overseas, as well as the shareholders who supply our parts at home in Japan. With all these different parties, it really added depth. 

Tomikawa
The interesting thing was that, normally, only people from the company respond to questions, right? You and the leadership team give answers, but on top of that…

Toyoda
Everyone answered. That’s because the MC did a great job. 

Tomikawa
No, no, not at all.

Toyoda
But that’s my style. Normally, when the head of a company speaks, everybody else is silent.

Tomikawa
But they even piped up while you were speaking.

Toyoda
Wherever I go, I always tell people that.

Tomikawa
That it’s okay?

Toyoda
No, I say, “Go for it.”

Tomikawa
You tell them to go for it?

Toyoda
Then they understand Toyota’s corporate culture. I tell them, “Even when someone is speaking, jump in.” Not that anyone actually cut in while I was speaking.

But during pauses, hands went up. That made me really happy. From the investors’ perspective, I feel that they gained a far deeper understanding.

Tomikawa
Of course, there is no script. Everyone, yourself included, is answering off the cuff, so sometimes even you would hear an opinion that made you go, “Oh, really?” And the investors are seeing that too. They probably didn’t expect to find this kind of company. 

Toyoda
I think so. 

Tomikawa
I certainly hear people in all kinds of places saying, “Something is different at Toyota lately,” it’s interesting and surprising.

Toyoda
I’m grateful for that. But it took about 20 years to get here.

Tomikawa
It has taken a long time. I’m not saying this to try and butter you up or anything, but I think people often remark on what a great job you’ve done.

“Great job Akio-san,” “Great job Akio”—some young people use your first name, which shows how warm your relationship is. I think you are really seen as a skilled leader, the person who has steered Toyota to this point. 

Toyoda
But I don’t want it to simply end at “Akio’s done a great job.” To someone who doesn’t agree with that at all, it merely sounds like flattery. I want people to dig deeper—What exactly is so great? How does it affect you personally? 

Tomikawa
But more than anyone, it’s the car lovers who say: “You can feel the difference when you drive.”

Toyoda
I do like hearing that. To be honest, though it may sound strange coming from me, Toyota cars lacked an emotional side.

In terms of specs, people noted that we had an edge over the competition. But I think we lacked a story. By adding the story, I believe we’ve brought in an emotional element that turns a vehicle into a cherished car. 

Tomikawa
At ARIGATO FEST., Toyota displayed several future mobility concepts that it’s working on and also let people try them. 

Toyoda
We just had the Mobility Show, didn’t we? With those exhibits still on hand, and having clearly set out our brand positioning, I think the timing really made sense. 

Tomikawa
Quite a few people were testing them out.

Toyoda
They were riding all kinds of vehicles. We started with the meeting in Tokyo. The next day, we used Fuji Speedway as an interactive zone, where people could drive many different cars. It felt like we should have called it Mobility Land. 

Tomikawa
A place to experience various forms of mobility.

Toyoda
Like an amusement park.

Tomikawa
As I watched, I was thinking, “This kind of setup could work.” You don’t really see that anywhere else, do you? A place where you can enjoy so many forms of mobility.

Toyoda
I think that’s because, over the past few decades, we’ve truly become a company that can create great products. I often talk about product-centered management, and it really feels like our products have become the face of the company.

Tomikawa
Not only on land, but also in the sea and air. 

Toyoda
That makes it tough for the master driver. 

Tomikawa
We did a panel discussion earlier, and there was an interesting moment. During the show at the GR GT3 world premiere, when the discussion turned to the subject of your successor as master driver, I suggested that Daisuke is a potential candidate. From there, we talked about the qualities of a master driver.

If we think about a master driver within the context of a mobility company, that means more than just cars, doesn’t it? 

The master driver must handle all types of mobility, but Daisuke (Toyoda) admitted that he gets seasick and has a fear of heights. What should we make of that?

Toyoda
Listening backstage, I thought, “He’s giving good answers.” I talked to various people beforehand, and then watched the panel. 

So, because I had just been asked similar questions, as I watched the show, we were comparing responses—“I said that earlier, didn’t I?” “What did he say?”

Tomikawa
Backstage? Ahh, that’s frightening.

Toyoda
We had a whole other show going backstage. That kind of thing would be great to do on Toyota Times.

Tomikawa
If that was a baseball broadcast, you were providing alternative audio while we were doing the main play-by-play? 

Toyoda
An alternate audio feed with behind-the-scenes commentary.

Tomikawa
I had no idea you were doing that, Akio.

Toyoda
So we were saying, “You didn’t hold back, Tomikawa.” We hadn’t named the master driver yet, but when you mentioned Daisuke as a candidate, we all thought, “He’s really going straight in.” We were all listening, along with the experts. 

Tomikawa
Was it interesting?

Toyoda
It was. We were saying things like, “Good answers” and “He’s asking that?” In fact, it was probably a great way to show that none of this is staged. For all those watching with me. That nothing has been arranged beforehand.

People made comments like, “Is this how you develop talent? Harsh!” 

Tomikawa
It’s us who should be scared, hearing that.

Toyoda
But it was really interesting.

Tomikawa
We had a good lineup too, including Toyooka from the Advanced Technical Skills Institute Division.

Toyoda
He calls Daisuke “Dai-chan.” The two of them are buddies and were planning to climb Mount Fuji together.

Tomikawa
We also had two professional development drivers, which was really fascinating. Listeners can check out our podcast episode from about two weeks ago to get an idea of what it was like. 

Tomikawa
With Toyota aiming to become a mobility company, WORLD ARIGATO FEST. also featured many different vehicles. Even Joby was there and flew five laps in the air above Fuji Speedway. 

Toyoda
Really?! I didn’t see it.

Tomikawa
Yes I know, because you were busy. It kept circling, and I had never seen it flying like that before. Everyone was excited, recording it on their phones.

Toyoda
No doubt there will be footage of that. In a way, I think that’s a real treasure. To see that, at this stage.

Tomikawa
And the whole flight was so stable, even as the propellers turned upward or forward. I think everyone sensed that the day when people can ride and move through the sky is getting close.  

Toyoda
Once the technology advances to a certain level, then it comes down to the rules. Adapting the rules to fit. The same is true for automated driving—when new forms of mobility emerge, I think simply keeping the existing rules becomes limiting.

Being able to adjust the rules at the right time will matter more and more. 

Tomikawa
Japan tends to be pretty strict when it comes to rules. 

Toyoda
Well, I’m not sure “strict” is the right word.

Tomikawa
Let me put it that way. Japan is really pretty strict (laughs).

But amid these strict standards, the tariffs and certification issues have sparked a growing movement to make things a bit more flexible. Greater flexibility might make Japan even better. 

Toyoda
You can’t go with a one-size-fits-all approach. When it comes to new things, there are always those who are ahead of the times and those behind. If you cater to those furthest back, then you can apply that to everyone. But if you align with those at the forefront, then others get left behind. So how do you position it?

If you go with one-size-fits-all, someone is going to be let down. How can you make everyone happy? To do that, I feel you need to give those up ahead a slightly longer leash, and once public support grows, slowly move towards consistency across the board. 

Tomikawa
Looking around the world, some countries are moving at an incredibly fast pace. In that light, it may seem like we are falling behind, but the key is to move forward while retaining Japan’s strengths and, as we just mentioned, figuring out the right balance.

Toyoda
I think that’s the better way of doing it. However, in Japan’s case, once something is decided it doesn’t change. Even though things are changing around us.

Take changing the details of the inspection portfolio, for example. In Japan, things only get added. 

I guess the thing is, there’s no one serving as a “disposer.”

Tomikawa
It’s still like the Toyota of old—there’s no one to act like the disposer you have in your home, creating compost. 

Toyoda
…

Tomikawa
I like that analogy, so let me keep using it (laughs).

Tomikawa
WORLD ARIGATO FEST. brought happiness and joy to all these people, many of whom will return home eager to do even more to promote Toyota in their own countries. In this way, the event highlighted how Toyota strives to be best in town around the world. 

Toyoda
On top of that, it was also a chance for people who normally work only within their particular region to connect with their best-in-town peers in other areas. I think coming together under one roof like that fosters a sense of pride and inspires people to learn from each other and keep striving. 

You could do this virtually if you wanted to. But we deliberately include interactive elements as well. When people hear the same discussion in the same place, it creates all kinds of effects. 

That’s why I think organizing this event every four or five years is necessary.

Tomikawa
It really meant something that they saw Woven City at a moment like this.

Toyoda
Yes, that’s right. When they see it four or five years from now, they’ll probably think, “Whoa, look how it turned out.”

Tomikawa
We might find people with a similar vision in other spheres. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Toyoda
You can also gauge whether you’re behind or ahead of the curve. The viewpoint in five years will be different from how you see things now. 

Tomikawa
I didn’t imagine that a conversation about WORLD ARIGATO FEST. would lead us to talking of the bright, exciting future ahead.

While we may only be able to show glimpses of WORLD ARIGATO FEST. to the public, I hope that watching Toyota Times News and listening to our descriptions on this podcast will give you an idea of how the event turned out, and what the future might hold.

Toyoda
In the past, ARIGATO FEST. used to be the World Convention, and it was a completely closed-door event. Now, thanks to Toyota Times, people can see all sorts of things. For those of us involved with Toyota, I think that’s really wonderful. 

Tomikawa
And great for the people who get to see it too.

Toyoda
I’m sure viewers will appreciate it as well. After all, certain things are hard to grasp just from an explanation, aren’t they? But when you have footage of the real thing, you can recognize the hard work everyone has put in, and that’s why I want people to see it.

Tomikawa
That’s true. And I hope that it will spark viewers to imagine the future that awaits all of us, not just Toyota.

Toyoda
Not just imagine—we also hope they will join us in shaping that future. 

Tomikawa
Anticipation leads to action.

Toyoda
When that kind of movement gets going, the future belongs to all of us, doesn’t it?  

Tomikawa
We can all look forward to that. Akio, thank you for your time today.

Toyoda
Thank you.