Preface to the Japanese edition.

I am very glad that the book is published in Japan. This fact is even more meaningful to me than English-language edition of the book which apperared in 1999. According to a popular in Russia version, among several factors which can explain success of Japanese industrial corporations one important factor is that these corporations adapted a system of inventiveness and improvement of technology and manufacturing developed in the USSR. I am not sure that this fact is correct, but I am convinced that the use of TRIZ will lead to the next step in organization of nation-wide system of education and further industrial success in Japan.

 I have been involved to activities related to the TRIZ development during 28 years of 45-year history of TRIZ (the first article on TRIZ was published in the Soviet journal “Questions of Psychology”, No 6, 1956). In 1973, when I was a graduate student in Moscow, I bought the book of Altshuller “Algorithm of Invention” (“Algorithm Izobretenia” in Russian, Moskovski Rabochi, Moscow, USSR), and since that very moment I had became a faithful follower of this book during my entire life. But my first encounter with TRIZ occurred even earlier: in 1961, when I studied at school, I noticed the book of Altshuller “How to Learn to Invent” (“Kak Nauchitsia Izobretat” in Russian, Tambov Book Publishers, USSR) at the booth which presented new book releases at the Krasnoyarsk Regional Library. I was surprised with the title of the book: how it is possible to learn to invent since the ability to invent is a gift of nature! Either it is given, or it is not.

 The book startled me with its contents: it presented inventive principles together with real-life problems and answers which were real inventions. But at that time I invented nothing since I did not have technological problems and did not know technology.

In the 70th, many TRIZ researchers in the USSR joined efforts. In 1980, my involvement to developing TRIZ became systematic within the Public Laboratory of the Theory of Inventiveness chaired by G. Altshuller. My work included development of the Guide to chemical effects, participation in the training seminars conducted across the country and conferences of the TRIZ developers, creation of the card collections for my future books, and practical inventive work (since 1981 I chaired a department at the technical university). In 1984, I wrote my first large manuscript titled “Idealization of Technical Systems” (“Idealisatsia Technitcheskyh System” in Russian). In 1987, the book “Feats at the molecular level. Chemistry helps to solve difficult technical problems” (“Podvigi na molekuliarnom ourovne. Khimia pomogaet reshat’ technitscheskie zadachi” in Russian) was published, which presented chemical effects. In 1990, the largest publishing company in Moscow "Prosveschenie" printed another my book “How to Become an Inventor” (“Kak Stat’ Izobretatelem” in Russian). This book became a big success. 100.000 copies of the book were sold out within two months! This was peak of TRIZ popularity in Russia and the USSR. According to the opinion of G. Altshuller, this title was the best TRIZ textbook. At that time, more than 200 TRIZ schools existed in the USSR, where more than 7000 students were trained. The results of the training were impressive: more than 11.000 patent applications were submitted by the students. In 1991, another my book “A System of Laws of Technology Development” (“Systema Zakonov Razvitia Tekhniki” in Russian) was published. Unfortunately, economic and industrial crises which occurred in the early 90th, restrained further evolution of the theory of inventiveness. No demand in TRIZ by the Russian industry was observed any longer. As a result, TRIZ gradually moved to educational organizations, to schools and universities. But I believe that this indicates a new step in the theory evolution!

This book is a translation of the English-language edition of the title “How to Become an Inventor”, which by the moment of English translation was revised, edited and extended, and includes a fragment from the book “A System of Laws of Technology Development”.

I endlessly thankful to the outstanding promoter of TRIZ in Japan, Professor Toru Nakagawa, who jointly with his hard-working colleagues Dr. Yshihisa Konishi, Togashi-san, Okabe-san, Shindo-san, Okubo-san, and Shimizu-san from Mitsubishi Research Institute performed a giant work on the translation and thorough revision of the text.

 I wish creative success and great inventions to all readers of the book!

Yuri Salamatov September 09, 2000 Krasnoyarsk, Russia.