In spite of the calamity that has struck their home country, Honda Malaysia continues with the annual execution of their 'Honda Dreams Fund' (HDF). Created to help the needy and poor to achieve their dreams, it is very commendable that Honda Malaysia is continuing to do this. HMSB also holds a nationwide road-tour to reach out to especially those who are in very remote areas and those who might not be aware of this effort. Being targetted at the poor, HMSB realizes that their target audience might well be unlikely to have own a computer or even a T.V., what more surf the internet.
Some of the main criteria for qualifying to apply for HMSB's HDF are very simple:
1. Age between 17 to 24 years old
2. TOTAL COMBINED household income of RM1,500 or less
3. Must have an acheiveable dream
Currently the nationwide road tour has already been completed but candidates can still apply for the HDF until the end of this month, March 31st 2011. For full, complete details on the HDF and how to apply, go to the HDF page in the HMSB website below:
http://www.honda.com.my/socialresponsibility/hondadreamsfund/overview/
HONDA MALAYSIA SEES NO IMMEDIATE IMPACT FROM JAPAN EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
Honda Malaysia has issued an official statement on the condition related to car availability related to the recent Japan earthquake. The important highlights are :
* Sufficient inventory for CKD and CBU models for the next one to two months.
* Production at plants in Japan suspended until 20 March 2011 to help prioritize recovery.
* Honda Motor will make decisions based on status of recovery.
* 300 million yen and 1,000 generators along with 5,000 gas canister to aid relief and recovery efforts.
Read the whole statement by clicking below:
Kuala Lumpur, 15 March 2011 - Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. today announced that it expects no immediate interruption from the 9.0 Richter-scale earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on the supply of Honda models in Malaysia.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Yoichiro Ueno said, "Our inventory for the 4 CKD models of Accord, CR-V, Civic, City, and the other 4 CBU models in Malaysia is sufficient for the next one to two months. We are monitoring the situation closely and will make the relevant announcement when we have more information."
"We would like to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake in northeastern Japan. We sincerely hope for the earliest possible relief and recovery of the affected areas," said Mr Ueno.
In Japan, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. has suspended production at all its major plants for one week from 14 to 20 March 2011 in support of the nationwide recovery efforts. Following that, Honda Motor said that it will make decisions based on the status of the recovery of their parts suppliers as well as the Japanese society as a whole.
Honda Motor is contributing 300 million yen and 1,000 generators along with 5,000 gas canisters to support relief and recovery efforts. Its associates have also been despatched to explain how to use the donated gasoline-powered and home-use gas canister-powered generators.
* Sufficient inventory for CKD and CBU models for the next one to two months.
* Production at plants in Japan suspended until 20 March 2011 to help prioritize recovery.
* Honda Motor will make decisions based on status of recovery.
* 300 million yen and 1,000 generators along with 5,000 gas canister to aid relief and recovery efforts.
Read the whole statement by clicking below:
Kuala Lumpur, 15 March 2011 - Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. today announced that it expects no immediate interruption from the 9.0 Richter-scale earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on the supply of Honda models in Malaysia.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Yoichiro Ueno said, "Our inventory for the 4 CKD models of Accord, CR-V, Civic, City, and the other 4 CBU models in Malaysia is sufficient for the next one to two months. We are monitoring the situation closely and will make the relevant announcement when we have more information."
"We would like to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake in northeastern Japan. We sincerely hope for the earliest possible relief and recovery of the affected areas," said Mr Ueno.
In Japan, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. has suspended production at all its major plants for one week from 14 to 20 March 2011 in support of the nationwide recovery efforts. Following that, Honda Motor said that it will make decisions based on the status of the recovery of their parts suppliers as well as the Japanese society as a whole.
Honda Motor is contributing 300 million yen and 1,000 generators along with 5,000 gas canisters to support relief and recovery efforts. Its associates have also been despatched to explain how to use the donated gasoline-powered and home-use gas canister-powered generators.
Understanding the Japan Nuclear Situation
Someone in the TOV forum posted the following link. It is one of a growing group of sites which are concerned about the widespread of misinformation and sensationalism in the internet targetted at the nuclear situation in Japan and directly making the poor people of Japan suffer even more. If you are interested to know more about the nuclear situation, and to know the truth and nothing else BUT the TRUTH, please make an effort to read the article posted in the blog below.
http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/
http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/
Official Honda Press Release regarding the Japan Earthquake
This is the official press release from Honda and explain important questions like how Honda has been affected and how Honda is contributing to efforts for recovery. Read the full press release after the jump. Note that I received this press release from the Honda media center. I also expect this to be posted to the Honda worldwide site soon as well.
TOKYO, Japan, March 14, 2011 - Honda would like to express its deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of The 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake in northeastern Japan and our sincere hopes for the earliest possible relief and recovery of the affected areas.
TOKYO, Japan, March 14, 2011 - Honda would like to express its deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of The 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake in northeastern Japan and our sincere hopes for the earliest possible relief and recovery of the affected areas.
| <About Honda operations> | |
| Considering the current situation of the nationwide recovery efforts in Japan, Honda has decided the following: | |
| ・ | As of March 14, all production activities are suspended at the following Honda plants: Sayama Plant at Saitama Factory (Sayama, Saitama), Ogawa Plant (Ogawa-machi, Hiki-gun Saitama), Tochigi Factory (Moka, Tochigi), Hamamatsu Factory (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka) and Suzuka Factory (Suzuka, Mie). |
| ・ | From March 15 through 20, Honda will suspend all production activities at its plants listed above as well as at Kumamoto Factory (Ozu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto). |
| ・ | From March 14 through 20, Honda will suspend regular operations at all Honda facilities in the Tochigi area, where damage was more serious, (including Tochigi Factory, Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Automobile R&D Center (Tochigi) , Honda Engineering Co., Ltd., etc.), and focus on the recovery of each operation. Honda associates will not come to work during this time. |
| <About aid for the victims of the earthquake> | |
| With the hope to contribute to the earliest possible relief and recovery of affected areas, Honda will provide the following aid: | |
| ・ | 300 million yen toward the relief and recovery effort. |
| ・ | A total of 1,000 generators (gasoline-powered and home-use gas canister-powered), along with 5,000 gas canisters. Honda also will dispatch its staff to explain how to use the donated generators. |
| <About the electricity conservation and cooperation for the rolling blackout requested by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry> | |
| Honda will cooperate to the electricity conservation efforts and the rolling blackout, prioritizing the relief and recovery of affected areas. | |
| <About recruiting activities> | |
| Honda decided the following regarding its recruiting activities so that victims of the earthquake can focus on recovery. | |
| ・ | Prospective associates, who are scheduled to join the company in April, can choose to delay their first day of work by up to two months if they or their families are affected by the earthquake. |
| ・ | For those who have applied for next year's recruiting process starting in April of this year (associates who would join the company in April 2012) from the affected areas (six prefectures in Tohoku areas and Ibaraki prefecture), Honda will ensure that the testing/interviewing of those applicants will be conducted in June or later. More details will be posted on the recruiting section of the Honda website in April. |
Minor update on the Japan Quake
ALL of my friends have responded and ALL of them are safe and healthy. In fact from what I can see, most of central Tokyo has not even been affected by the much circulated and overhyped power and water cut. My friend for e.g. reported no disruption to the electric or water supply to his house which is in central Tokyo.
In the meantime, my friend at Honda HQ has also responded and he too is safe and healthy.
It is true that Honda had suffered a bit from the quake. According to official sources, including what was told to me directly, one or two casualties (depending on who is the source) has been experienced in the Honda R&D center in Tochigi when a wall collapsed on the employees. Others have been injured as well. No serious harm has been done other than the two unfortunate casualties. But it is true that some Honda plants have to be temporarily closed. The closure is due to parts supplies - some of Honda's part suppliers have been affected by the quake.
For people concerned about the impact to the availability and delivery of cars imported from Japan, e.g. the Honda Insight in Malaysia, Honda Malaysia has built up a large amount of stock for the Insight before delivery started last month. This was the reason for the delay between the launching in December last year and the first deliveries last month. So, whatever rumours or stories you heard people with 'connections' tell you, TRUST ONLY what your DEALER tells you. They have access to a centralized order management system run by Honda Malaysia and they know all details about stock availability and delivery times. For other countries in Asia, I strongly advice you to do the same and simply IGNORE ANY RUMOURS OR STORIES especially those spreading gloom and doom, on the internet, forums, phone SMS, or even by word of mouth. Conspiracy theories are not always right. Meanwhile I will try and see if I can get some sort of official response on this matter from Honda Malaysia.
For TOV/TOVA supporters who wants to know more about the nuclear situation that is developing in Japan -BUT- wants to separate the HYPE and OVER-DRAMATIZATION from the TRUE FACTS, do be informed that TOV contributor Daniel Garcia is living in Nagoya Japan and is working for the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. He has been keen, like me, that people around the world know the REAL NEWS, rather than some of the over-dramatized ones floating around. Also, being a researcher in atomic power, he is also able to separate the facts from the bullshit and is able to explain the REAL situation in an accurate and level-headed way. He has absolutely NO dealings with the power companies that runs the nuclear power plant and so he has EVERY intention to report accurately. You can follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/#!/daniel_garcia_r . Daniel also says that of all the news portals, the Japan Times is the most responsible. Also if you want news from some NGO who is savvy with atomic energy but also responsible and free from hype, ANS at http://ansnuclearcafe.org/ is considered accurate too.
In the meantime, my friend at Honda HQ has also responded and he too is safe and healthy.
It is true that Honda had suffered a bit from the quake. According to official sources, including what was told to me directly, one or two casualties (depending on who is the source) has been experienced in the Honda R&D center in Tochigi when a wall collapsed on the employees. Others have been injured as well. No serious harm has been done other than the two unfortunate casualties. But it is true that some Honda plants have to be temporarily closed. The closure is due to parts supplies - some of Honda's part suppliers have been affected by the quake.
For people concerned about the impact to the availability and delivery of cars imported from Japan, e.g. the Honda Insight in Malaysia, Honda Malaysia has built up a large amount of stock for the Insight before delivery started last month. This was the reason for the delay between the launching in December last year and the first deliveries last month. So, whatever rumours or stories you heard people with 'connections' tell you, TRUST ONLY what your DEALER tells you. They have access to a centralized order management system run by Honda Malaysia and they know all details about stock availability and delivery times. For other countries in Asia, I strongly advice you to do the same and simply IGNORE ANY RUMOURS OR STORIES especially those spreading gloom and doom, on the internet, forums, phone SMS, or even by word of mouth. Conspiracy theories are not always right. Meanwhile I will try and see if I can get some sort of official response on this matter from Honda Malaysia.
For TOV/TOVA supporters who wants to know more about the nuclear situation that is developing in Japan -BUT- wants to separate the HYPE and OVER-DRAMATIZATION from the TRUE FACTS, do be informed that TOV contributor Daniel Garcia is living in Nagoya Japan and is working for the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. He has been keen, like me, that people around the world know the REAL NEWS, rather than some of the over-dramatized ones floating around. Also, being a researcher in atomic power, he is also able to separate the facts from the bullshit and is able to explain the REAL situation in an accurate and level-headed way. He has absolutely NO dealings with the power companies that runs the nuclear power plant and so he has EVERY intention to report accurately. You can follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/#!/daniel_garcia_r . Daniel also says that of all the news portals, the Japan Times is the most responsible. Also if you want news from some NGO who is savvy with atomic energy but also responsible and free from hype, ANS at http://ansnuclearcafe.org/ is considered accurate too.
Some news of the Japan Earthquake
All of the world's news sites are now providing real time reports on the massive and tragic magnitude 8.9 earthquake that rocked Japan yesterday. TOVA sends out our condolences to the people of Japan and our well wishes that they will recover safely and quickly.
The moment I learned about the earthquake in Japan, I quickly sent emails to three of my friends living there. Two of them are native japanese and lives in Tokyo itself, one of them an employee of Honda who has been posted back to HQ. The third is fellow TOV'er Daniel Garcia who is working in Nagoya.
Daniel reported back saying Nagoya itself was not affected at all. It was great news.
My friend responded very quickly too. He works and lives within central Tokyo, very near the business district. He too reported that he and his family are all safe and sound. From his email response, it would seem that central Tokyo itself managed to escape relatively unscathed which is fantastic news. However, he said that he was unprepared for the intensity of the earthquake. It was surprising and alarming because all japanese, since young are regularly prepared for the event of an earthquake. As Daniel so eloquently described, the japanese are obssessed with natural calamity management. So they are fully prepared for an earthquake. Unfortunately it seems that the sheer POWER of this magnitude 8.9 earthquake caught them totally unprepared.
Still, with practically all buildings properly prepared against natural calamities, it seems that other than that widely circulated photo of a building in Odaiba on fire, damage to central Tokyo itself is relatively minor. The biggest impact however is the apparent breakdown of the infrastructure, especially the transport system. The extremely complicated Tokyo subway is driven by electricity by and large and due to power cut, many people are strandled. My friend himself managed to walk back home but it seems many were not so lucky.
My friend from Honda have not yet responded so far. A search in Google's 'People Finder' did not come up with anything. I am sure he is OK but I will probably contact Honda Malaysia to check up on his safety very soon.
It would seem that the outlying cities and towns around Tokyo and the more northernly areas are the most impacted, especially those located near the coast. The much reported 10metre high tsunami is already known by people all over the world, as is the terrifying damage to towns like Sendai.
In the TOV forums, it was also reported that there have been a few casualties in the automobile assembly plants of both Honda as well as rival Toyota.
Other than the fearsome damage done by the tsunami, at the moment the most terrifying fears on most people's mind is the problems at the nuclear power plants. There have been many reports and it is difficult to know exactly what is happening. It doesn't help at all that various news agencies are starting to bring in or quote various, previously unheard of, experts generously brandishing 'opinions' on the situation. It is especially alarming when 'experts' from 'renown universities' start to pronounce 'dire concern about nuclear meltdown of the core' and such things. My personal advice is to just stick to official news released by agencies such as NHK.
Another alarming trend is the growing popularity of the 'cover-up' scenario. So, many people have started to openly say that any news coming out from Japan must have been sugar-coated so as not to spread wide panic and that the actual situation is much worse, and that a nuclear disaster will happen soon. I feel such statements do not help at all.
At the moment, the only thing everyone here can do is to monitor closely and pray, in your own way, for the safety and well being of your friends and in general the people of Japan.
The moment I learned about the earthquake in Japan, I quickly sent emails to three of my friends living there. Two of them are native japanese and lives in Tokyo itself, one of them an employee of Honda who has been posted back to HQ. The third is fellow TOV'er Daniel Garcia who is working in Nagoya.
Daniel reported back saying Nagoya itself was not affected at all. It was great news.
My friend responded very quickly too. He works and lives within central Tokyo, very near the business district. He too reported that he and his family are all safe and sound. From his email response, it would seem that central Tokyo itself managed to escape relatively unscathed which is fantastic news. However, he said that he was unprepared for the intensity of the earthquake. It was surprising and alarming because all japanese, since young are regularly prepared for the event of an earthquake. As Daniel so eloquently described, the japanese are obssessed with natural calamity management. So they are fully prepared for an earthquake. Unfortunately it seems that the sheer POWER of this magnitude 8.9 earthquake caught them totally unprepared.
Still, with practically all buildings properly prepared against natural calamities, it seems that other than that widely circulated photo of a building in Odaiba on fire, damage to central Tokyo itself is relatively minor. The biggest impact however is the apparent breakdown of the infrastructure, especially the transport system. The extremely complicated Tokyo subway is driven by electricity by and large and due to power cut, many people are strandled. My friend himself managed to walk back home but it seems many were not so lucky.
My friend from Honda have not yet responded so far. A search in Google's 'People Finder' did not come up with anything. I am sure he is OK but I will probably contact Honda Malaysia to check up on his safety very soon.
It would seem that the outlying cities and towns around Tokyo and the more northernly areas are the most impacted, especially those located near the coast. The much reported 10metre high tsunami is already known by people all over the world, as is the terrifying damage to towns like Sendai.
In the TOV forums, it was also reported that there have been a few casualties in the automobile assembly plants of both Honda as well as rival Toyota.
Other than the fearsome damage done by the tsunami, at the moment the most terrifying fears on most people's mind is the problems at the nuclear power plants. There have been many reports and it is difficult to know exactly what is happening. It doesn't help at all that various news agencies are starting to bring in or quote various, previously unheard of, experts generously brandishing 'opinions' on the situation. It is especially alarming when 'experts' from 'renown universities' start to pronounce 'dire concern about nuclear meltdown of the core' and such things. My personal advice is to just stick to official news released by agencies such as NHK.
Another alarming trend is the growing popularity of the 'cover-up' scenario. So, many people have started to openly say that any news coming out from Japan must have been sugar-coated so as not to spread wide panic and that the actual situation is much worse, and that a nuclear disaster will happen soon. I feel such statements do not help at all.
At the moment, the only thing everyone here can do is to monitor closely and pray, in your own way, for the safety and well being of your friends and in general the people of Japan.
Video of new 9G Civic !! (USDM model)
For fans of the Honda Civic, the latest excitement is the video someone took of AHM (American Honda Motors) doing a video shoot for advertisement of the new 9th generation Honda Civic. This video shows us exactly what the new Civic looks like. Bear in mind this is the U.S. model. However the Asian model will be very similar. There is in fact, already an article on the 9th gen Civic for China and that will be covered in our next post. The link below is to our TOV's news and rumours article for the video.
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=965440
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