When I joined Otsuka I soon realized that it was a company with a very empowering and outward-looking culture. Otsuka started its international expansion early on, and the executives had a genuinely global outlook. It began to promote employee diversity a long time ago, and there were no barriers based on gender or nationality. In terms of career opportunities, people like me who joined as administrative assistants have been able to transition to frontline operations, and Otsuka continues to provide equal opportunities to a lot of people. That is something I didn't realize until I actually joined the company, but it's a very flexible organization.

I'm not talking about just my own experience; overall there is a very fair work environment here. Perhaps in Japan women still aren't being offered enough opportunities, and elements of the seniority system still remain. I'm grateful that I was presented with a very challenging opportunity, and although there have been some struggles, Otsuka has been a really great place for me to work.

Naturally, in the case of products for women, since I use them myself I have a deep insight into many aspects of the range. With Otsuka's UL·OS skincare products for men, my perspective as a woman enables me to see men's habits that could potentially be transformed. Although some people may not agree when I use my perspective as a woman to create products for men, I carry out my work in the belief that men also want to improve themselves.

I have learned a lot in my role. As a part of my training I developed a product formulation from scratch, something I had never done before. At the beginning of the project I visited the research institute every week, and had in-depth conversations with the researchers. They explained everything to me, and with each new product formulation I learnt a lot more. It's been a long road, but now I can confidently say that I know more than anyone when it comes to Otsuka Pharmaceutical's cosmedics business.

In consumer interviews, a lot of men tell us that they wash using soap and water, and that they think it's normal to have dry skin flaking off their arms and legs in the winter. But if they took proper care of their skin, it would improve and become healthier. That's easier to grasp for a man that has no skincare routine than for the average woman who does.

Since I am currently in charge of cosmedics, I have decided to focus all my efforts on that. Although my current focus is clear, if at some point in the future I was assigned a job that was completely different and I had to start again from scratch, I would readily agree to it. New challenges are rewarding, and the more difficult they are, the more rewarding they are, so I really look forward to seeing what kind of challenge I will be given next! A few years ago, I would never have dreamed of being where I am today, so I have no idea what the future will bring. Whatever job I have, I will make sure I build the solid foundation I need to do it properly.