One Company Song

Toward Sharing Awareness across National Boundaries

In 2013, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of HORIBA’s founding and true to our commitment to sharing awareness across national and cultural boundaries, we created our One Company Song, “Joy & Fun,” which can be sung by all HORIBA Group company employees around the world.

lyrics & music by Hiroaki Hayama

Looking to the future in your innocent eyes
I am trying for the best for your life
Not afraid of going against the wind
Cause’ everything’s going to be alright
We were born in a different place
There is surely a different sky
Just as long as you see the light
Let us cry together as one
Hand in hand, why not speak out
And in no time you’ll be fine
Joy & Fun, tomorrow’s a new day
I’ll be there by your side
In search of brighter days
We are one, oh cannot be replaced
And facing each other
So we’re there for the world

One Company Song Working Group Leader
Osamu Matsumoto
Employee on loan to HORIBA Europe GmbH (Germany)

- HORIBA: Mr. Matsumoto, you have served as leader of the One Company Song Working Group, one of the working groups for the 60th anniversary commemoration. What was your impression upon launching the One Company Song project?

Matsumoto: I was chosen as project leader because I like songs. When we launched the project, however, I had no specific image of the song—so we started from scratch. While talking with other group members, I came up with the idea of making a cheer for the HORIBA Group. To that end, we strived to create a song with English lyrics that could be sung by all people around the world, so all HORIBARIANs (HORIBA Group company employees) globally would be able to share their feelings.

We then asked HORIBARIANS around the world to send us keywords that expressed their commitment to the One Company principle.
We decided to choose the title, which serves as the song’s core, from among the many keywords collected from around the world by having HORIBARIANs vote. As a result, “Joy & Fun” (the English translation of the company motto) was chosen as the song’s title.

- After you chose the title, how did you proceed in making the song?

Matsumoto: We encountered considerable difficulty locating a professional songwriter. To make a song that will continue to be loved by everyone and passed down through many generations, it was necessary to ask a professional songwriter to compose the music and write the lyrics. We asked many songwriters to make the song but were turned down time and again. Under these difficult circumstances, we made the acquaintance of Hiroaki Hayama,* who composes music for celebrated singers in Japan, through the introduction of someone who supported us in the construction of HORIBA’s Aso factory (Kumamoto Prefecture). Mr. Hayama kindly accepted our request to make the song.
We asked Mr. Hayama to review all the keywords collected from HORIBARIANs around the world that expressed commitment to the One Company principle and to create the song based on those keywords by building an image from the title of “Joy & Fun.” From the moment I first heard the completed song, I was firmly convinced that all HORIBARIANs everywhere would love it.

- The One Company Song, “Joy & Fun,” was born as a result of your efforts; it was sung at HORIBA’s 60th anniversary ceremony. Connected through a teleconferencing system, HORIBARIANs around the world joined in singing the song, which was performed to a wonderful tune played on the piano by Mr. Hayama against a backdrop of live music and in tune with the voice of lead singer Yuka Togo.

Matsumoto: During the period between the completion of the song and the anniversary ceremony, we distributed CDs to our business sites around the world and asked HORIBANs to practice the song. Working group members visited various departments  in Japan to encourage HORIBARIANs to practice the song, and we broadcast it at each company during lunch break daily. We also asked all HORIBA Group companies to allow their employees to hear and sing the song at every available opportunity. The ceremony attendee from oversea practiced the song at the training center after coming to Japan. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, on the day of the ceremony, all attending HORIBARIANs at the Kyoto International Conference Center as well as those who joined the ceremony from around the world via teleconferencing were able to sing “Joy & Fun” simultaneously and share their feelings with each other.

- What does the song “Joy & Fun” represent for HORIBARIANs at present?

Matsumoto: Made from words chosen by HORIBARIANs around the world, since the singing at the 60th anniversary ceremony, this song has been sung at every company event, including monthly company meetings and global conferences. We have also put a video of the song on YouTube so HORIBARIANs can share it with their families and friends. Surprisingly enough, the song is also available on karaoke machines and we have been informed that it is sung at department parties. As a matter of fact, I have sung it myself at karaoke many times.
As I imagined when we started our project, “Joy & Fun” has grown into a cheer for the HORIBA Group, enabling HORIBARIANS in countries around the world to share their feelings, whether on or off duty, across national and cultural boundaries. I hope the song will continue to be loved and sung by many generations of HORIBARIANs in the future.

* Hiroaki Hayama
Musical career
Musician and music producer born in Kumamoto Prefecture. The former keyboardist of D-LOOP and the current keyboardist of Tourbillon. He has composed music for many famous Japanese pop singers.