[June 9, 1980, Monday - Nihon Kogyo Shimbun]
Printing electrons ⑤ NEWLONG SEIMITSU KOGYO
From the beginning of the Showa decade, Japan accelerated its inclination towards that long period of war. A military inspection was waiting in front of Inoue.
Acceptance at third-class. Inoue, who started kendo as soon as he entered high school, had developed a splendid physique that was second to none. Despite this, he was accepted as third-class because of his bent left arm, which was mentioned before.
"Could I say that my time as a soldier was spent in the boarding house? Fortune is a fickle friend."
Inoue says this with a tinge of philosophy, but he would face the day when Japan loses the war without ever being entered to the army due to being third-class.
“I was lucky,” says Inoue. You truly never know what life will bring you. A wound that becomes a handicap normally could eventually become your salvation.
Beyond this one case, Inoue's life shows the incredible luck he had. Not only was he never sent to the battlefield, but he also never suffered from the effects of the war.
When the air raids began to intensify, Inoue moved from Koyasudai, Yokohama, where he lived at the time, to Yoshiwara in Shizuoka Prefecture. At Nissan, he built a training plane colloquially called the Red Dragonfly. Inoue had been in charge of the development of the 100-horsepower engine for the Red Dragonfly, but when the engine was completed, the factory was separated and moved to the former site of Teijin's Yoshiwara factory. At the same time, Inoue was also transferred.
After moving to Yoshiwara, the war situation became even more difficult. Student mobilization and women's volunteer corps began to be sent to the Nissan Yoshiwara plant, and Inoue was forced to work on educating these employees until the plant's facilities were completed.
......
“Before that, I had thought about my luck several times. Among them, the one that left the biggest impression on me was the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. The direction of the wind changed before my eyes, and we escaped the disaster.” (Inoue)
At that time, Inoue was living in Kaminegishi ni-chome, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
Ordinarily, people would say, "How unlucky," but as Inoue said, they escaped the spread of fire, so the impression of his good luck was even stronger. In addition, the Uguisudani area is one of the most solid areas in Tokyo, and it is said that there was almost no direct damage from the earthquake.
In this way, the furniture and household goods that were saved without being hit by a disaster were useful as part of the funds for independence after the war, so the story is all the more interesting.
In 1948, Inoue made up his mind to become independent and disposed of his unnecessary household goods. It was just after the war, so there were many buyers. The total was about the size of two large trucks, so it was a useful amount as part of the independent fund.
Besides the issue of funding, the move demonstrated Inoue's determination.
"I want to lighten my load and take on the world."
That was the decision.
He decided to go independent without consulting his family. He knew that talking to them would only cause them trouble. So, after he made the decision, only the words "stay with me in the tough times"
were said to his wife.
"If that is what you prefer, I have nothing else to say."
His wife only gave a short reply.
It was a decision typical of Inoue, who had steadily walked the path of an engineer.
"If you give it your best, the path will open."
That was Inoue's conviction, which he had nurtured during his days as an office worker.
(Titles of persons omitted)
<Written by Kunio Michida>
From June 3, 1980, to the 16th, over 2 weeks; Nihon Kogyo Shimbun (now:FujiSankei Business i.), reprinted with permission.
