*At the contributor’s request, no editorial changes have been made. Additionally, this is being published under the editorial department’s name to maintain the contributor’s anonymity.
Several years ago, I received a request from the Nikkei newspaper to write “My Personal History.”
Although I felt somewhat embarrassed at the time, I decided to accept thinking “if it could be of any help to employees and readers.”
However, the writing process proved far more challenging than I had imagined.
The interviews lasted over 14 months, and during that time, the fact that I was writing was strictly confidential.
Unable to explain my writing intentions to those around me, I would often draw suspicious looks when checking old photographs or verifying names, with people asking “What are you doing?”
Proceeding without drawing attention from others was an incredibly delicate task.
Despite these difficulties, with the support of the editors, the series was successfully published.
However, the completed series didn’t include much of what I truly wanted to convey.
