Honda Software Studio Osaka: A New Development Hub Accelerating Value Creation Through Collaboration
February 13, 2026
Established in spring 2025, Honda Software Studio Osaka aims to become a new core of manufacturing innovation. The studio brings together Honda’s culture of valuing individuality with the vibrant and open communication style characteristic of Kansai. This issue of Honda Stories introduces the vision behind Honda Software Studio Osaka through interviews with Site Director Hiroaki Suzuki and Kazutaka Ano, who led the office design.
A truly Honda space shaped by commitment, where individuality thrives
As software-defined vehicles (SDVs)—in which software is defined first, and hardware is determined accordingly—become the mainstream approach to vehicle development, the mobility industry is undergoing a significant transformation. Honda operates development centres across Japan and actively recruits engineers nationwide.
In autumn 2023, Honda opened its first software development base in the Kansai region, located in Osaka. In spring 2025, the team moved to Grand Green Osaka in the redeveloping Umeda district and was relaunched as Honda Software Studio Osaka (the Studio).
Suzuki: “If Honda was going to establish a base in Osaka, it had to be a long-term plan looking decades ahead. That naturally led to the idea of creating a state-of-the-art, genuinely cool office. We started by holding workshops to ask ourselves how we wanted to work, and decided on a workplace where people could gather, talk freely, and enjoy lively interaction.”
Suzuki’s initial design request—“cool and modern”—was intentionally abstract. The person tasked with translating that vision into a tangible space was Kazutaka Ano from the Communication Design Studio.
Ano: “The design focuses on creating spaces where people discover new perspectives through conversation and stimulate one another.
”For example, the table in the meeting room we’re in now is designed to be the ideal width for communicating with first-time visitors. If it’s too close, it creates a sense of pressure; too far, and it feels distant. The environment heavily influences ease of conversation. That’s why we incorporated many elements throughout the studio that naturally encourage people to speak.”
Suzuki describes the process of building the studio together as deeply inspiring. Ano adds that the stimulation each participant felt led directly to Honda’s philosophy of respecting the individual and valuing diversity.
Suzuki: “As we discussed how to design each meeting room or what kind of chairs to use, ideas kept emerging from Ano’s creative toolkit. Other members were also proactive in sharing suggestions, so even reviewing the design renderings was exciting.”
Ano: “Facilities management, organizational development, HR, and general affairs supported realization. That foundation allowed the team’s creativity to be fully expressed—just like developing a car.
We even spent hours discussing a single chair. In the end, we incorporated everything that each person felt was right. The result is a highly diverse space that accommodates differences in height, body type, and personal preference. Unifying everything is not always the best solution; achieving balance by weaving together many perspectives is what matters.”
Blending diverse personalities to create ‘Osaka-originated’ output
Ano explains that the studio was designed with the hope that communication born from diversity would lead to new value creation.
Ano: “When building an organization, if asked whether the space comes first or the people come first, I believe the space comes first. A clear vision and way of working shape the space, and people who are drawn to that environment naturally gather. That’s how an unexpectedly diverse group comes together.”
In an environment where individuality can collide and merge, the goal is to create manufacturing output that truly originates from Osaka.
Suzuki: “Although it’s called Honda Software Studio Osaka, we are recruiting for a wide range of roles, not just software engineers. From a workplace where people can openly exchange ideas and collaborate energetically, we want to create Osaka‑born products. They don’t have to be cars—whether rockets or other types of mobility would be just as exciting. The goal is to deliver results as soon as possible.”
