Manuscript Rejected by Major Companies Morinaga Takuro’s Last Editor Reveals His Work Ethic During Cancer Treatment

“Next week, I will submit the galley proof (the proof copy).”

On January 21st of this year, an email was sent that would become the last message to the author after spending a meaningful time together. The sender learned of the author’s death one week later, on January 28th. It was through a news alert on a smartphone that they received the obituary of economic analyst Takuro Morinaga (aged 67), who had been battling cancer.

“Thanks to Mr. Morinaga, when he was alive, the books I was in charge of sold incredibly well, and it was a time of joyful struggles. When the latest book went into a reprint, the previous ones also started selling again. The days were filled with excitement from advertising and sales promotion activities. When I learned of his death, I was overwhelmed with a sense of loss, as if the festival had come to an end.”

This is what Takuro Morinaga’s final editor-in-charge, Nagatake Nakano (48), the president of Sango-kan Shinsha, said. Over the course of about two years until his death, Morinaga published six books, including his posthumous work “The Economics of Self-Preservation.” Books like “Zaimu Shinrikyo” (290,000 copies sold) and “What Should Not Be Written” (360,000 copies sold) all became bestsellers.

The encounter between Morinaga and Nakano happened in an unexpected way (the following comments are from Nakano).

They say they can’t release it because they’re afraid of the Ministry of Finance

“In late 2022, Mr. Morinaga reviewed one of our books in the weekly magazine ‘AERA,’ so I sent him a thank-you email. I didn’t get a response, so I forgot about it for a while, but in February 2023, I suddenly received an email from Mr. Morinaga. It said something along the lines of, ‘I have a manuscript that a major publisher rejected. They say they can’t release it because they’re afraid of the Ministry of Finance.’

When I read the manuscript he sent, it was very interesting. I immediately replied, ‘We’ll publish it.’ Mr. Morinaga expressed concern, saying, ‘This is criticism of the Ministry of Finance, so you might face harassment. Are you sure you’re okay with that?’ I replied without much thought, ‘Even if we get arrested, it will only be the two of us, so there’s no problem.’ That’s how ‘The Zaifu Religion’ was published.”

Initially, Mr. Nakano thought the book would sell around 10,000 copies, but as mentioned earlier, it became a bestseller. However, during the writing of his next work, Things You Shouldn’t Write, it was discovered that Mr. Morinaga had cancer.

“Even after his cancer was diagnosed, Mr. Morinaga remained energetic. When I would email him, ‘I want to cut this part,’ he would reply almost immediately, sometimes saying, ‘That part is fine, but keep this part.’ Even before the publication was decided, he sent me a completed manuscript saying, ‘Next, I want to do this.’ I would reply, ‘Let me read it first and then decide,’ but everything he sent was so interesting that I read it all in one night.”

 

Please make a T-shirt

Although six books were published by Morinaga, it is said that they only met in person once.

“He was a very busy person with radio appearances, YouTube shows, lectures, and writing activities, so there was hardly any time to meet. After he was diagnosed with cancer, hospital tests were added to his schedule. It was a ‘no visitors’ work ethic.

The only time I met him was in March 2024 at Nippon Broadcasting. I thought we might go to a café, but instead, the only words he said were, ‘Ah, Nakano-san, please make a T-shirt for the next book (for promotion).’ It was just a few minutes.”

Even so, Morinaga and Nakano spent meaningful time communicating through emails and phone calls.

“Once he knew his time was limited, I could feel his determination to write what needed to be written without worrying about societal expectations. As seen in the title of his posthumous work, ‘The Economics of Self-Preservation,’ he continued to communicate by discarding his own convenience.

Morinaga was dry about work, but he was also loyal. I believe that after rejecting books at other publishers, he wanted to reward the publisher that took on ‘The Zaimu Cult.’ It’s unlikely that I will ever have an author write six books in just two years. He was passionate to the end.”

Although Nakano, as an editor, generally decided on titles and designs, the title of the posthumous work ‘The Economics of Self-Preservation’ was published exactly as Morinaga suggested.