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Release date: December 22, 2025

■Name
Akira Harada

■ Faculty and major at the University of Tokyo
Faculty: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Graduate School: Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering

■ Final year at the University of Tokyo
2018 undergraduate graduate
Graduated from graduate school in 2020

■ Publishing company you currently work for
Jibunjinbun Co., Ltd
Website:https://jibunjinbun.com/

■ How to spend your time at university
After enrolling in the Faculty of Science, I went on to study at the Department of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering. In the second semester of my second year, I moved to the Hongo Campus, but because my lab was spread across three campuses (Kashiwa, Hongo, and Komaba), I ended up living a somewhat unusual campus life, enrolling at each campus for around two years
As for extracurricular activities, during my time at Komaba, I was a member of the University of Tokyo Co-op Student Committee and the Komaba Festival Committee, spending a lot of time on the north side of campus (around the Student Union Building). Academically, I initially had the typical student side, but after attending Professor Oki Taikan's "Small Group Seminar," I discovered the joy of research and began to take my lab activities more seriously. I also have fond memories of traveling abroad every year, taking advantage of the University of Tokyo's support programs

■ How I interacted with books and the Co-op Book Club during my university days
<About reading>
When I first enrolled, I didn't read many books, but around the winter of my second year, when I had decided on my department, I decided that "I have to read books to get ahead in the future," and I began borrowing five books from the library every day and engrossing myself in reading in the Co-op Student Committee room. I only started reading seriously after I began my own humanities activities in graduate school
<About the Co-op Book Department>
I was a student committee member and director of the Co-op, so I looked at the book department from a management perspective. At the time, I had heard that the profit margin for books was low, but now that I'm on the publishing side (creating books), I've once again realized how tough the profit margin is and how great the discounts for members are

■ What made you choose the publishing industry?
I didn't join an existing publishing company, I started my own
In my previous job, I was involved in systems development and advertising agency work related to publishing distribution, so I had an understanding of the industry. Furthermore, while in graduate school, I founded an organization with friends to conduct outreach activities for humanities knowledge, and when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to put a stop to these activities, I thought, "I want to leave our activities in the form of a book." This was a major motivation. Rather than taking my proposal to a major publishing company, I wanted to present it to the world with my own hands and under my own name, so I decided to start my own business

■ What kind of work do you do specifically?
I do all of the things that are said to be the role of an editor: "gathering people," "creating a space," and "attracting readers."
Specifically, Jibunjinbun members share all book-related tasks, including planning, selecting and requesting authors, and editing, as well as marketing, arranging distribution, submitting manuscripts, accounting, and even direct sales at events like the "direct from the farm book market." While they outsource specialized aspects like binding and proofreading to professionals, Jibunjinbun handles the direction

■ Characteristics and attractions of the publishing company you work for
<Features>
It is characterized by being a "one-person publisher" and dealing in "humanities books." However, it aims to publish not only academic humanities books in the narrow sense, but also humanities books in the broad sense, which apply humanities intellectual thinking to everyday life and society
<Attractions>
The advantage is that we can freely plan and publish the books we want to create at our own discretion. Because we are not required to go through internal planning meetings or bound by strict sales quotas, we can give shape to ideas that we believe are "interesting" or "necessary for the world" with a high level of purity. Another great attraction of this job is that it allows us to have deep connections with researchers, artists, and other people we would never meet in our everyday lives

■ Job satisfaction and enjoyment
Being able to create the books we want to read and think are necessary. Unlike expressing opinions on social media, there is a unique sense of tension and excitement in taking financial risks and presenting a product called a "book" to the world
It's really fun to get direct feedback from readers and develop new relationships through books. Although we don't have the stability or distribution network of a major publishing company, I feel rewarded by being able to take full responsibility and create a book that I'm satisfied with

■ What products does your company recommend and why?
Product name: "My world is made up of people"
Reason: Although this is only my first publication, this book is packed with the "fascination of humanities" that I want to convey. I believe that I have been able to express the "fascination of people" and "exchange of knowledge" that can only be seen in this specific format, through a roundtable discussion between researchers from different fields

■ What I feel and learnt from working in the publishing industry
I can really feel that Japan's publishing distribution system (agency and consignment system) is reaching its limits. The current situation is serious, with book prices being too low compared to the rising cost of raw materials, and the structure that supports books with profits from magazines collapsing. (*)
On the other hand, there are a truly diverse range of books in the world, and I sense the passion that goes into each book being created to reach someone. However, I also feel a sense of crisis that, as a society, the act of "reading a book" itself is becoming a privilege reserved for only a select few who have the time and mental space to do so

*Editor's note: A distributor is a wholesaler that specializes in magazines and books. The consignment system is a sales method in which a distributor entrusts inventory to a bookstore, and after a certain period of time, unsold items can be returned
Because magazines are published regularly and have stable sales, the distribution structure was based on magazine deliveries, with book deliveries piggybacking on that. However, with magazine sales and distribution volumes declining significantly in recent years, this previous way of thinking is no longer viable

■ Recent trends in the publishing industry
While certain genres (such as AI books) are popular, I feel that the bigger trend is the change in the "form of distribution." In addition to the traditional distribution route, there is an active movement to explore new ways of delivering books, such as "direct transactions" where publishers and bookstores transact directly, and direct sales at events. (*)

*Editor's note: When publishers set up booths at events such as academic conferences or exhibitions, they sometimes sell books directly to readers without going through distributors or bookstores. This type of sales method is called direct sales

■ How does the publishing industry view today's society?
<Changes in how we obtain information>
The way people obtain information is rapidly shifting from books and online media to generative AI and short videos. The number of people who "read" is decreasing, and it feels like the competition for disposable time is intensifying
<Social division and the role of books>
I feel that on social media and elsewhere, there is a growing tendency to judge things in extreme terms, such as "0 or 1" or "black or white." However, the real world is much more complex and indivisible. Books (especially humanities books) should be able to provide a foundation for accepting such irreducible ambiguity and diverse values, such as "0.8" or "√2." I believe that it is becoming increasingly important to have a place to think deeply offline, or through books, away from the extreme discourse online

■ Books that Tokyo University students should read
First of all, and I'm a little biased, I'd like you to read our company's books (laughs). I'm convinced that a humanistic way of thinking will enrich your life, regardless of whether you're in the sciences or humanities
Other than that, read "books you like." Whether it's a business book, a light novel, or a picture book, there's no distinction between high and low. If you read while thinking about "why did the author write this book?" and "who is it written for," you can learn something from any book

■ Message to Tokyo University students
Your university years are your precious time to study at your most relaxed and freest. Don't just look to earn credits, take classes and participate in seminars that motivate you, and enjoy the learning process itself. I'm sure that all of you who are talented will be able to do well in the job-hunting process, so I hope you will make full use of the resources that university has to offer
"Don't be a critic, be a creator," are the words of my mentor
Tokyo University students are intelligent, so I think they are good at analyzing and criticizing things. However, I want them to not only use their mouths and heads, but also use their hands and actually leave something behind in the world
This doesn't have to be limited to writing books, but could also be starting a business, creating laws, or creating new systems. I hope that you will not become cynical critics from a safe distance, but will move the world forward as creative practitioners, even if it means getting down to earth

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Vol.2 is scheduled to be released around the end of January
The list of articles isthis pageIt is posted on

○Planning and management: University of Tokyo Co-op Komaba Book Department
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