Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law in 1985

Appointed as a legal apprentice in 1985

There are two things that have been important to me while serving as a judge in a high court and a district court. One is the attitude of humbly listening to the words of both parties and examining the evidence. The other is that, when handling cases involving conflicting values, such as policymaking cases, it is essential to approach them from various perspectives and viewpoints. For that, I believe it is indispensable to engage in self-development by reading various books and studying, and absorbing the findings from research seminars at the Legal Training and Research Institute.

I am inspired by the words of a sculptor, Hirakushi Denchu, who passed away in 1979 at the age of 107: "If I don't do it now, when will I be able to do it? If not me, who else will do it?" Hirakushi Denchu was an amazing person who, even after turning 100, purchased and stored so much lumber that he could not use it all in 30 years, thinking that he needed a large stock to be ready to start sculpting at any time. When I find my work tough and painful, I bolster my courage with these words.

I like reading history-related books and do so often. The impressive ones that I have read recently include "The Story of the Crusades" by Shiono Nanami, and "Jokyu no Ran (The War of Jokyu)," "Onin no Ran (The War of Onin)," and "Yamagata Aritomo," all of which are authored by historians (I recommend them as they are all paperbacks and are easy to read).

I love watching performances such as plays and concerts. While serving at the Osaka High Court, I enjoyed Bunraku puppet shows, Kabuki plays, Rakugo, comedies by Yoshimoto Shin Kigeki (Yoshimoto New Comedy Troupe), musicals by the Takarazuka Revue, Miyako Odori shows, etc. Watching Yamamoto Yoshinobu pitch at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, before he went to the U.S, is also one of my good memories.