Starting the Nagoya Life History Project to Publish the Lives of 100 Diverse Individuals
For its 140th anniversary, Chunichi Shimbun launched the 'Life History of Nagoya' project to publish a book documenting the lives of 100 people. They are publicly recruiting 100 interviewers to collaborate with citizens.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 00:40
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 16:00
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 19:55 (315h 55m after Collected)
Chunichi Shimbun Co., Ltd. (Naka-ku, Nagoya; President Uichiro Oshima) has launched a project on April 10 to produce a book titled 'Life History of Nagoya' (scheduled for publication in summer 2027), which records the lives of 100 people connected to Nagoya together with publicly recruited participants, as a commemorative project for the 140th anniversary of its founding. Accordingly, we are starting a public call for 100 'interviewers'.
About the Life History Project
This project is an initiative created together with citizens, where 'interviewers' selected through public recruitment will ask about the upbringing and lives of familiar 'narrators' (parents, partners, acquaintances/friends, etc.) of their choice, compiling about 10,000 characters per person for 100 people into a book.
The first installment, 'Life History of Tokyo' (Chikuma Shobo), won both the 76th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award and the Kinokuniya Humanities Award 2022. Subsequently, 'Life History of Okinawa' (Misuzu Shobo), 'Life History of Osaka' (Chikuma Shobo), and 'Life History of Hokkaido' (Hokkaido Shimbun Press) were published one after another, generating a great response in various regions as a 'general public recruitment large-scale life history project'. Currently, the 'Life History of Kyoto' project is underway. 'Life History of Nagoya' (Chunichi Shimbun) is scheduled to be published in the summer of 2027.
Chunichi Shimbun 140th Anniversary Project
This project, which involves facing 200 people including interviewers and narrators, requires vastly more man-hours than typical book production. Rooted in Nagoya, our company has observed daily life and listened to diverse voices. This time, as a 140th anniversary project, we will leave the contents of diverse people talking about the lives they have walked in this region in the 'Life History of Nagoya' and connect it to the next era.
Supervised by Professor Masahiko Kishi of Kyoto University
[Supervisor's Comment]
Ordinary people tend not to think 'my story is interesting' and mistakenly believe their life lacks flavor, disappearing without being recorded. But there has never been a single time I've listened and not found it interesting. I look forward to the lives of each of the 100 narrators gathered in this project and the 'Nagoya-ness' that emerges from their narratives.
[Supervisor Profile]
Masahiko Kishi: Born in 1967. Sociologist and author. Professor at the Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University. Research themes include life history, social research methodology, and Okinawa.
About the Life History Project
This project is an initiative created together with citizens, where 'interviewers' selected through public recruitment will ask about the upbringing and lives of familiar 'narrators' (parents, partners, acquaintances/friends, etc.) of their choice, compiling about 10,000 characters per person for 100 people into a book.
The first installment, 'Life History of Tokyo' (Chikuma Shobo), won both the 76th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award and the Kinokuniya Humanities Award 2022. Subsequently, 'Life History of Okinawa' (Misuzu Shobo), 'Life History of Osaka' (Chikuma Shobo), and 'Life History of Hokkaido' (Hokkaido Shimbun Press) were published one after another, generating a great response in various regions as a 'general public recruitment large-scale life history project'. Currently, the 'Life History of Kyoto' project is underway. 'Life History of Nagoya' (Chunichi Shimbun) is scheduled to be published in the summer of 2027.
Chunichi Shimbun 140th Anniversary Project
This project, which involves facing 200 people including interviewers and narrators, requires vastly more man-hours than typical book production. Rooted in Nagoya, our company has observed daily life and listened to diverse voices. This time, as a 140th anniversary project, we will leave the contents of diverse people talking about the lives they have walked in this region in the 'Life History of Nagoya' and connect it to the next era.
Supervised by Professor Masahiko Kishi of Kyoto University
[Supervisor's Comment]
Ordinary people tend not to think 'my story is interesting' and mistakenly believe their life lacks flavor, disappearing without being recorded. But there has never been a single time I've listened and not found it interesting. I look forward to the lives of each of the 100 narrators gathered in this project and the 'Nagoya-ness' that emerges from their narratives.
[Supervisor Profile]
Masahiko Kishi: Born in 1967. Sociologist and author. Professor at the Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University. Research themes include life history, social research methodology, and Okinawa.