Japanese Aircraft and Design: Kazuhiko Hachiya (Media Artist)

Aircraft manufacture has been at a standstill in Japan for many years, though there are currently two new projects underway: Honda Jet and Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ). “Integrative ability” – the ability to grasp the entire process from designing and building the fuselage or body of the airplane, to performance tests, airworthiness approval and eventual sale – is essential. Aircraft design, where the overall balance and reliability of the vessel is the overriding technical consideration, offers hints for product design and we spoke to Japan’s two foremost aircraft engineers.