<Begin Segment 35>

[Translated from Japanese]

I2: Have you ever considered regaining the U.S. citizenship?

TY: I have absolutely no intention to do it. I am happy with where I am now.

I1: Are you happy that you came back to Japan?

TY: I owe it to the States. I am still thankful for what the country offered me. I had a great time in the United States when I was young. I went through a lot while incarcerated, but I am who I am today because of my past experience. I have never considered myself unfortunate. Always go straight forward, that's my way. War makes people crazy. It should never happen again.

I2: What did you do after you left the GHQ? What kind of jobs have you had?

TY: I left the GHQ and returned to Hiroshima. My sister had a house in Kure, Hiroshima. There was a shrine called Kameyama Jinja there. The British Commonwealth Occupation Force was planning to build a new building on the campus for high rank officers to socialize. They wanted to have someone to serve meals and tea at 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock. British people drink a lot of tea. They have a cup of tea in bed first thing in the morning. They sit down together over another cup of tea at 10 o'clock and again at 3 o'clock. Their social gathering over drinks starts at 6 o'clock in the evening at a bar. I was asked to build a facility and train employees including cooks and bartenders. Mr. Onuki from a construction company was assigned for the construction of the facility. I worked there to help with the project for about a year. I went back to Hiroshima after I left. Have you heard of Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company? They came to see me and said, "We've heard about you. We are to build a hotel in Hiroshima for tourists from overseas. We would like to offer you the manager position with the hotel." I asked, "What is your plan?" They said, "We would like to create a venue to host various events for foreigners and others. They told me that the city administration was behind the project and asked me to work with them. I was going to, but something happened to the company, and the project was cancelled. So, I was planning on opening up a restaurant in the middle of the Hiroshima city. While I was getting ready to work on it, I bumped into Fujimura. He is a son of Mr. Fujimura from Hiroshima. He was a baseball player in Fresno. His father was a baseball coach back in the States, and he played baseball. I ran into him along with Hirayama and Hancock. We said, "Long time no see. How are you doing?" We went out to eat together. It was such a coincident that the CEO of Yakult happened to be at the same restaurant. He kept talking about the States. We were overhearing the conversation. They were talking about marketing their products in the United States. They were also talking about introducing food service industry like 7 Eleven to Japan. They were discussing how to build the infrastructure in Japan for the new business. I was overhearing the conversation and got interested in what they were talking about. Our eyes met. He asked, "I haven't seen you around here. Where are you guys from?" I said, "I came back from the United States. I worked for the occupation army and am looking for a job in Hiroshima." He said, "Come work for me. Can you speak English?" I answered, "Sort of," and we laughed. I told him I would consider. That seemed to be an interesting job. He told me that they were launching the project and asked me to come to Tokyo to meet with him. I was to go to the Yakult head office in Tokyo, but he told me to check out the Hiroshima office first to find out what they do. He said, "Contact me if you are still interested in taking up my offer." I went to the Hiroshima office and started working there. It was very interesting. At that time, male employees were distributing the products, but they were not producing a big profit. We looked into it and found that they were taking the money and spending it for themselves. That was not working. We worked on a different business plan and thought housewives with some spare time could be good candidates for the position. It would be interesting to introduce housewives to the work force. Women don't do anything extraordinary. We thought we could trust them. They are also good at following rules. We thought it was the best idea and started recruiting and training female employees. We also launched door to door sales in Hiroshima, and it was a huge success. Until then ten percent of the population never thought about working outside.

[Interruption]

TY: The business became very interesting. I decided to work for Yakult.

I1: Who came up with the idea to introduce women to the workforce? Did you? A similar situation was going on in the States during World War II. Men were on the battlefield and women, especially housewives, were introduced to the workforce. Was that inspiration for you? Or it had nothing to do with it?

TY: I didn't think about that.

I1: It was almost at the same era.

TY: The company was operating in the nationwide market. Fliers were distributed through each local network. That required a lot of time and energy. We introduced the franchise system. For example, the population in this particular region is 1,000, and that is your target audience to market the products.

I1: As much as possible.

TY: Yes. They can balance the job and the housework. They can hold a job, make money but don't have to give up family time. They can continue to keep the job for a long time. We set up small regional sections for them to work close to the customers. They got to know the clients and even their family members.

I1: Did they work on commission? Was it based on the sales volume?

TY: Yes, that was how. It was a big success. Yakult changed their distribution system nationwide and became successful. I am now eighty years old. I worked until I was about seventy years old. I retired as a vice chairman in this region.

I1: We could add this to what we recorded yesterday. Hope it doesn't get too jumpy.

I2: The tape is running out. So, you retired as a vice chairman of the region. How old were you when you retired?

TY: I retired at the age of seventy.

I2: You worked until you were seventy years old.

I1: We would like to ask you to say that again.

I2: Let's wrap it up.

I1: Could you talk about it again?

I2: In your own words. You continued to work for Yakult.

TY: We expanded our market to South East Asia and South America. I expanded the sale network of the Yakult products. I devoted my life to create a health-conscious society.

I2: Then, at the age of seventy...

TY: I am retired now and live happily with neighbors and grandchildren. The life is worth living every day.

I2: We have about forty minutes left. We don't have to end the interview yet. We still have some time. I wonder if we should briefly list up what he did for a living or talk about it in detail. It would be interesting, but we need to think about how to proceed.

I1: You mean you would like to talk about what he did in the chronological order?

I2: Yes.

I1: Like he did this from this year to that year after the war?

I2: Yes. What do you think?

<End Segment 35> - Copyright (c) 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.