Mieko Kamiya (1914-1979) was a renowned psychiatrist known for her research in psychiatry focusing on leprosy and her many publications including "On the Meaning of Life (Ikigai ni Tsuite) "and "A Close Look into Human Beings (Ningen o Mitsumete)". Blessed with the ability to master many languages, she was proficient in numerous languages such as French, English, German, Italian, Greek, and Ancient Greek. She assisted her father, Tamon Maeda, who became the Minister of Education after the end of the World War II and even after Tamon's resignation, she continued to work as an interpreter and translator at the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces (GHQ). After marriage and having children, she worked as a language instructor and a member of a university's teaching staff in order to help pay the bills while fulfilling her duties as a wife and a mother. She also translated books on philosophy, medicine, and poetry.
 As described above, blessed with diverse and rare talents and skills, Mieko accomplished great work; however, her life was far from being smooth and straightforward. According to her writings in "Diary (Nikki)" and letters exchanged with her best friend, Masa Uraguchi, one can see that, although she felt joy and had a sense of gratitude, her life was filled with suffering and conflict. She had a unique sense of duty and a strong desire that could be called an impulse, which she named a "demon". As a woman with a family, a deep conflict also existed within her with regard to her focus on her career. In spite of her burning desire to work for leprosy patients, she did not work long at Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium as a psychiatrist.
 This manuscript describes the life of Mieko Kamiya, focusing on the struggles that she faced as a truth―seeker and also as a woman while empathizing with the vivid words and thoughts that she left behind in "Diary of My Younger Days (Wakaki Hi no Nikki)", "Diary (Nikki)", and the "Collection of Correspondences (Ofuku Shokan Shu)" she had with Masa Uraguchi. Lastly, a discussion about the people who supported her in her life was added. Suffering, leprosy, sense of mission, meaning of life.
 Author's abstract