Introduction
The Origin and the Mission
The origin of the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology is aptly described in the message left by Eiji Toyoda (1913-2013), the first chairman of our museum, at its opening.
“The Toyota Group wishes to impart to younger generations its belief in the importance of both “making things” and “creativity and research”. By so doing, it hopes to contribute to the healthy development of the societies and economies of Japan and other countries of the world. Herein lies our purpose for establishing this museum.” (General guide for the Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology*, June 1994)
* In July 2014 the museum was renamed “the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.”
Incidentally, Japan’s automobile industry is said to be facing a once-in-a-century period of transformation today, triggered by the advancement of revolutionary technologies collectively called CASE. This includes the shift to EV, automation, and connected-ness. However, the origin of our museum’s establishment as mentioned earlier remains unchanged despite the current times.
Established in June 1994, 100 years after the birth of Toyota Motor’s founder, Toyoda Kiichiro, the museum will celebrate its 30th anniversary in June 2024. We hope to take on new missions especially now in this world facing an uncertain future brought upon by matters such as the COVID pandemic. At the same time, we will not forget to respect the origins of our museum. This includes the entire museum releasing the message that “technological innovations and development of industries will build our future, with the museum serving as a place of learning about the history of making things(“monozukuri”) and then aiming for our future goal of playing our part in developing a sustainable society. Even though this is a grand mission, we believe it is one that we must fulfil, as a museum in the birthplace of the Toyota Group.
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