When nearly one year had passed with Investigation Dept., Minabe, General Manager, whispered to Miwasaki,
"Mr. Shirahama is asking me to transfer you to his company. Why not you help him?"
Shirahama was President of Hayatama Inco Alloy Limited (HIAL) then, and Minabe was rumored to become Managing Director soon.
Minabe sent him gladly, considering it as a chance to Miwasaki's restart.

HIAL is a joint venture of Hayatama Steel and International Nickel Co. (ＩＮＣＯ), a world-wide enterprise of nickel refining with its head office in Canada.
HIAL has its office on the 1st floor of Hayatama Building, the same with Hayatama Tokyo Branch. The President Shirahama was transferred here as Executive Director from HSA.
It has a warehouse and a processing factory in Nagoya, and its employees are nearly 100.
Its profitability is high.

Miwasaki worked for HIAL as a person in charge of General Affairs and a Secretary to the President for about 2 years.
President Shirahama looked mild but strict as Miwasaki had felt at HSA. He did not go easy on the work. It was useless for Miwasaki to expect Shirahama's consideration on his handicap and inexperience.

Two things is in his memory. One is embarrassing.

The directors' meeting of HIAL was held once 3 months at the INCO Japan Office in Haccho-bori, Tokyo. It was all in English, and Miwasaki was a facilitator and in charge of making the proceedings.

At the height of summer, he used the subway all the way to and from the INCO Japan office.
On the way back, he put his suit on the baggage rack on Hibiya Line, and after changed to Ginza Line, somehow he put on the baggage rack not only his suit but the bag with all the important documents of the meeting, the draft of the processings and what not in it.
Dozing off in spite of himself, it was Toranomon Station just when he opened his eyes. He hurried to get off. After the train began to start, he was upset. He found he left his suit and the bag in the train.

He ran into the office of the station premises. He was irritated with an amazed face of the station staff. He had to wait for the answer impatiently more than 10 minutes.
They seemed to find his belongings in the train heading for Shibuya Station, the terminal.
He received them in the lost and found at Shibuya Station.
It is a secret story to the company.

Another memory in him is about the export business of ultra alloy.

HIAL was a special trading company of nickel and ultra alloy. It was naturally dealing with export and import, and Miwasaki was in charge of this job.

Miwasaki and his staff were called by President Shirahama to his office.
Telling them "This is confidential" in a low voice beforehand, Shirahama said.
"Export Dept. of Hayatama Steel let me know a while ago. The goods our HIAL carried by sea to the United States seem to have been stopped at the customs checkpoint at Baltimore Port."

According to Shirahama, the U.S. Government regarded some of their goods as the metal materials under an embargo. MITI (Ministry of International and Trade Industry) would have questioning of the matter to HIAL soon.
The staff was startled and apologized immediately, saying, "My mistake."
He did not have any guilty intention, so it was clear that he had made a careless mistake. But the problem was so much serious that it was not on the level of apology.
He resigned himself and the president seemed not to have a good idea.
It was around the time when a major electric manufacturer and a major trading company commited this kind of case concerning the export of some goods under an embargo to the Communist bloc and several people were arrested.
Miwasaki got wind of the situation and said to the president,
"Would you leave this matter to me?"
Miwasaki and the staff with documents entered a nearby cafe. They had a confidential talk until Miwasaki understood the detail.

Miwasaki visited Export Dept. of Hayatama Steel and apologized to General Manager saying, "It was my mistake. I am ready to have questioning."
The General Manager took him to MITI at Kasumigaseki.
"You might have committed a serious crime."
The MITI staff in charge told so to Miwasaki, filled with anger, and urged him to prepare for anything.

Since then, Miwasaki was called by MITI several times and was informed of the unsatisfactory checking situation at Baltimore Port.

Concerning this matter, a gag order seemed to be imposed in Hayatama Steel, so no sound about it around.
On the other hand, Miwasaki had no one to consult and felt lonely with his back against the wall.
While he was ready to be arrested anytime, MITI called him. He waited in a small room, preparing for the worst.
The person in charge entered the room and said at once.
"Let's forget about all of what happened around us until now."
He got out in a hurry not looking back at the suspect bowing. Miwasaki appreciated himself under a lucky star, not understanding anything.

Around those days, he began to think this and that.
Though the left side of his body modelately came back to life, "Would my life be good enough in this way?"
In fact, he was entrusted with the practical work of management from HIAL and was acting as he liked.
In spite of it, why didn't he feel satisfied?

He was on the level of a manager in Hayatama Steel. It was still not the time he might have felt inferior to the other 60 guys of the same entry, though he had experienced some twists and turns after the elite track.
But the company doctor's words when he got back after brain infarction was heavy in his memory.
"Every commercial company has its severe rule. That is: Every director must be healthy and has to be ready to die for the company in a pinch. I am sorry, but you got rid of the qualifications of physical and mental health. The brain infarction is not a common illness.
It will not be only a reason for living to become a director. Considering your present situation, would you find your own meaningful company life? Seemingly merciless, but this is the way of a commercial company with a lot of employees."

At the previous personnel change, several guys of the same entry were promoted to an assistant general manager, including Inami of Planning Dept. and Kushima of Steel Casting Sales Dept.
"Why am I not promoted?"
Though he thought he had changed his mind, something unclear raised its head at heart on the other hand.
"Still far away to the post of a director, I may have this kind of pent-up feeling until retirement."
He had much more pride in spite of the lack of ability.
He began to think to himself he could do the job of himself well thanks to the effect of rehabilitation. The thought grew stronger and stronger.

Miwasaki was attracted to the PC since he had started to learn the A5-type word processor in order to relax and rehabilitate his left fingers during his stay at Investigation Dept.
A little while after beginning to work at HIAL, he bought an expensive PC of mini-box type called "Business Personal Computer N5200" by NEC. He was absorbed in the integrated office computer software (LAN) developed by NEC.
LAN is the abbreviation for "Language for Advanced office Needs", which is the package of LANWORD (word processor), LANPLAN (spreadsheet program), LANFILE (database) and LANGRAPH (making graphs).
This software was a forerunner of the integrated software like Microsoft Office.

He was making use of N5200 on his desk for the job.
Shirahama, the president, was very pleased with the output of the PC, and used them as the materials and the data at various meetings.
Miwasaki had a secret intention to make good use of the softwares for some props in his next life.

He never had an awareness as the chief of the 5-people family. It was when his elder daughter was in the second grade of university, his boy in high school and his younger daughter in middle school.
Even though it was the days the expenses of his family were the highest, his mind was "It'll work out all right."
He said to Tsubaki, giving her no objection, "I will leave Hayatama Steel, but I will not put you to any trouble."

Tsubaki seemed to have prepared for such situation.
She began to utilize her qualification of a nursery school teacher, and got a job at the day care center near the house.

President Shirahama had been worried about his thought of resignation. He said, "You are now going to be promoted to the next position. I will surely be taking care of you."
Minabe, Managing Director of Hayatama Steel, did not dare to stop him either, saying, "When you have difficulty, come to see me."

Miwasaki left Hayatama Steel in October 1988 at the age of 48.

25 Years with Hayatama Steel
End

Part 13 Reading: 17' 51"