An Engineer's Assistant

In my filmography, *An Engineer’s Assistant* (1963) is referred to as my “first film.” This public relations film, which focused on the safety of the Japanese National Railways, was intended as “self-criticism” in response to the major accident that occurred on the Joban line at Mikawashima Station in 1962. At the time, the responsibility for the accident was attributed to the negligence of the engineer and the engineer’s assistant. The project aimed to promote a new device designed to prevent such accidents. However, I believed the real cause of the accident was an overly congested service schedule, and I deliberately emphasized the depiction of the actual work of the engineer and his assistant, as well as those who had selected the route and were responsible for safety on the line where the accident occurred.