The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
About the Authors and Book The Courage to Be Disliked is the work of two Japanese authors: Ichiro Kishimi, a
Fumitake Koga
Fumitake Koga: Bringing Adlerian Psychology into Everyday Conversation
Fumitake Koga is a professional writer and author whose work includes business and general nonfiction. His encounter with Adlerian psychology in his twenties led to an extended intellectual collaboration with the philosopher and counselor Ichiro Kishimi.
Together, they wrote The Courage to Be Disliked and The Courage to Be Happy. The books use conversations between a philosopher and a young questioner to explore ideas about happiness, relationships, responsibility, and personal freedom. Koga developed this dialogue-based presentation through repeated discussions with Kishimi in Kyoto.
Koga’s role is distinctive: he helps turn philosophical and psychological arguments into questions a reader can follow and challenge. The dialogue makes space for hesitation, disagreement, and gradual understanding. His collaboration with Kishimi invites readers to examine the search for approval, their relationships with others, and the choices available to them in the present.