“I Was a Failure” — Miki Sumiyoshi’s Candid Story of Turning Setbacks Into Success

“Being a radio personality was my dream job.”

“I was a hopeless person, really.”

These were unexpected words from a woman known for her bright and positive image.

Miki Sumiyoshi (52), who has hosted popular NHK programs such as Professional: Shigoto no Ryuugi and now works as a freelance announcer, published her candid memoir Inventory at 50 (Kodansha) in September. In it, she reflects on her life, including her work as the personality of Blue Ocean (TOKYO FM), which has been a central part of her career. (Comments below are from Sumiyoshi.)

“At the very beginning, nothing went well. First of all, speaking alone was difficult… At NHK, I was mostly working with co-hosts or audiences I could interact with. On radio, I had to speak alone in front of the microphone. Without seeing the listeners’ reactions, I didn’t know what to say that would make them happy.

Also, at NHK, I was trained to convey objective information concisely. When I tried to speak personal, subjective thoughts on radio, my body resisted, and I would get stuck saying ‘uh’. It took some time and experiences for me to be able to express myself naturally.”

Being a radio personality was a dream job for her from the start. Her early experience living abroad during her childhood and teenage years—due to her father’s work in the U.S. and Canada—sparked this ambition.

“I used to record messages and foreign songs on cassette tapes and send them via international mail to my grandmother and friends in Japan. ‘Grandma, how are you? Greetings from Seattle.’ That was my original experience that made me long to be a radio personality.”

She spent her university years at International Christian University in Japan. Through various part-time jobs, she gradually shaped her vision of becoming an announcer.

“To find a job I could do long-term, I took many part-time jobs: cashier, writer’s assistant, food sampler, interpreter. From these experiences, I realized I was better at taking initiative than waiting, and I preferred speaking over writing. At a university presentation, I happened to be the MC, and a very strict professor complimented me, saying I seemed like a real announcer. That was a big boost.”

She joined NHK in April 1996, but her career was not smooth. In her first posting in Fukushima, she blushed while greeting the midday news audience with “Good morning!” Even after becoming a freelancer at 37, she was shocked when hearing criticisms like, “Sumiyoshi wasn’t good at all” at a show’s wrap-up party.

Through repeated trials and errors, Sumiyoshi resolved to be completely honest in her broadcasting. On her FM program, she decided to embrace every listener email, failure, and success story entirely.

“No one can live by efficiently choosing only the correct path. But past detours and mistakes can be transformed into the right outcome depending on your mindset. In my case, I realized that being brave enough to openly share my experiences could help someone. FM radio gave me the opportunity to turn failures into successes.”

By showing her true self, Sumiyoshi has earned the nickname “Queen of Empathy” among listeners.

The October 10 issue of FRIDAY 10/24–31 Combined Edition and the paid version FRIDAY GOLD also cover Sumiyoshi’s experiences with intense harassment from an ex-boyfriend and her struggles with infertility treatment, accompanied by many charming, original photos.

From the October 24/31, 2025 combined issue of “FRIDAY”