Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, October 2, 1999 A gentleman, nearing retirement and seeing his dream of joining the executive ranks vanish, visited an outpatient clinic, shoulders slumped in despair, expressing deep hopelessness and depression. A woman who had just started thinking about traveling to hot springs with her husband after their daughters had married off lost him to a heart attack. She tearfully confessed, “I have lost the will to live,” suffering from a depressive

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, October 9, 1999 Those who pass the highly competitive bar exam—where the odds are hundreds to one—enter the legal profession only to face a career filled with relentless challenges. Watching the classic television series Perry Mason  makes it clear that diligent investigations and thorough evidence gathering are crucial in determining the outcome of a verdict. Whether a lawyer or a prosecutor, it is not just courtroom eloquence that matters; it

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, October 16, 1999 A young man, having achieved his goal of gaining admission to a highly competitive medical school, found himself completely unmotivated. What captured his heart was mahjong. It sparked his fighting spirit and involved intellectual strategy. Constantly stimulating the brain, yet never fully satisfying it, mahjong possessed both an irresistible charm and a dangerous allure. Inspired by Tetsuya Asada’s Mahjong Wanderer , he indulge

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, October 23, 1999 There are more than 300 globally renowned individuals who are believed to have bipolar disorder. However, it is unfortunately rare to find a famous person who has openly battled a severe mental illness. When people with mental illness speak about their past experiences in baseball, soccer, calligraphy, abacus calculation, and other activities, their eyes shine with passion. Knowing that they once led bright and fulfilling lives

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – December 18, 1999 Less than two weeks remain in the 1000s. This series, which has continued for over a year, is now coming to its final installment. It’s a strange feeling—both a bit sad and yet a moment of closure. In recent years, films like Armageddon  and Independence Day  have depicted worlds facing the end. However, this year's hit film The Matrix  leaped ahead 200 years into the future. It was a complex story in which the virtual world c

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, December 11, 1999 Nurses, in particular, are always close to their patients. Doctors often rely on them for assistance. The reality of Japan’s medical system, which heavily depends on nurses and other healthcare professionals, is no laughing matter. Psychiatry, which should require the most emotional connection with patients, has a legal provision allowing only one-third of the number of doctors per patient compared to general medicine. This is