Episode 8 My wife turned an engineer

Anticipated the coming of the computer age

Doubts arose about my life as an employee in a big company
Hatsuko spent some time as a full-time housewife in Aboshi, Himeji, but after all, she is a woman who aspired to be a programmer since high
school. Once she started looking for a job, she easily found a position as a systems engineer. It was with a Toshiba office computer agency.

Computers used to prepare invoices and delivery statements, calculate payroll, etc., were called “off-comp,” an abbreviation for office
computers, and were gradually beginning to be introduced by companies from around this time. Hatsuko and other programmers used to write
programs by hand on coding sheets and then record them on punch cards. In many companies, each of these tasks was divided into separate
jobs. The work scenes were completely different from those of today.

In those days, programs were being written using a type of programming language called assembler, but such writers were still limited in rural
areas. Hatsuko’s company, however, was a small agency. And office computers were basically custom-made products. Therefore, it was
necessary to listen to the clients’ requests and reflect them in the system. The work required not only to write programs, but also to take on a
certain kind of consulting work, such as building systems and training the employees of client companies who will use them after they are
delivered.

The trend toward computerization was no exception in my workplace. As I was in charge of developing electrical systems for ships at
Nishishiba Electric, I received patent documents regarding new technologies from Toshiba, the parent company, every week. I used to read
through each of the thick documents. Although my primary job was to design systems, there were times when patent searches accounted for as
much as 30% of my work.

And I soon realized something. It was the fact that more than half of the material was computer-related. I have experience dealing with
computer network theory as the subject of my graduation thesis as a university student, and among other things, I have a programming expert
back home. Although my usual job was designing shipboard systems, it was impossible not to be intrigued by computers.

When Hatsuko and I were married in 1975, Toshiba was working on the full-scale commercialization of the “TLCS-12” 12-bit
microprocessor. It was developed to control engines installed in the U.S.-based Ford Motor Company vehicles to comply with increasingly
strict emission regulations in the U.S., but its application was not limited to automobiles, and it was becoming widespread in the industrial
world.

The evolution of integrated circuits drove the miniaturization of computers, and the evolution of large, general-purpose, application-unspecific
mainframes into tailor-made models used by small companies. What awaited us ahead was the arrival of an era where everyone would use
computers on a daily basis. In the course of my days facing a huge volume of patent documents, I came to fully realize that such a turning
point in time was just around the corner.

Just then, a senior employee of Hatsuko’s company decided to go independent. At that time, Hatsuko was also invited to join the business, and
I thought about it. Until then, I only had the idea of working as an employee in a big company. I also had no complaints about my work at
Nishishiba. But I couldn’t help but wonder if that is all there is to life.

One day, I was on my way home after driving Hatsuko to a client. As I grabbed the steering wheel and watched the passing scenery, I thought
to myself. I will never forget the sights I saw at this time for the rest of my life. “That electronics store and this clothing store are not big
companies. Japan is actually supported by these small companies.” Then, what kind of life do I want to lead? At the age of 29, it was time for me to make a decision.

With Hatsuko (left) during our honeymoon