I was involved in the development of diagnostic products in the hematology field. At the time, we were still trying to become global No. 1 in hematology and were developing products that could help us achieve this aim. A product is not something that can be created by one person, but by many engineers who come from different backgrounds and possess expertise in different fields. I remember how motivated I had been when the product I was involved in was launched for the first time and saw it actually installed in a customer's laboratory.
Since then, we have increased our market share in hematology, and we have seen other companies' products being replaced with our own in medical institutions all over the world. When our customers told us that we had developed an amazing product, I felt a renewed sense of pride in my work.

I remember I was in the United States for an extended stay on a joint research project. When I visited the children’s wards, I met many children who were fighting leukemia along with their families. When they heard about my research, they had high hopes for my contribution to the future development of medicine. I felt a strong sense of mission to meet their expectations and contribute to advancing healthcare. I had been involved in the development of diagnostic reagents and studies related to their clinical efficacy, and had gained experience and knowledge from my work, but this visit was one of the most memorable experiences of my working life. Meeting the children and their families gave me a new appreciation of the contribution my work can make to the health of people around the world. The medical practice and the patients I saw with my own eyes are still vivid in my mind and are the source of why I work for a healthcare company.

I had built my career in research and development, but working in departments that are close to management, such as the Human Resources Department and Corporate Planning, enabled me to gain experiences different from anything I’d had before. It was a big change for me to move from working mainly with products to working with people (employees). In my work in the Human Resources Department, I came into contact with a wide range of employees, from people straight out of school to mid-career professionals, and I came to realize that the most important asset of a company is its people. I believe that people are the most important element that holds the key to corporate transformation. I can say that this was an experience that I could not have had if I had only worked in research and development focusing on products. In Corporate Planning, I analyzed a variety of internal and external information in order to examine the direction of the company and support management decision-making. Being involved in the management of Sysmex in the future, I felt a different kind of responsibility than I’d had in the past. I also needed to understand the situation in departments I had never worked in before, as I needed to work with an understanding of the whole Group. It was one of the most exciting things I'd ever done, thinking about things in a complex way from a variety of different sources and deciding on the big direction of the company from a high and broad perspective.
One of the characteristics of Sysmex's human resources development is that you can experience not only a career as a product development specialist, but also broaden your work and perspective by working in various fields. The career change has been good for me and has helped me to develop a higher perspective and broaden my horizons.

I would like them to take an interest in everything. It's important to have a keen interest in all aspects of the job and to study hard to understand it. At Sysmex, opportunities come to those who raise their hands, and we have an environment that encourages taking on challenges. I believe that by taking on many opportunities on your own, you will grow, and in doing so, you will be able to grasp bigger and more interesting opportunities.