The following is an edited transcript from the Thursday press conference at which Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement.

On when he decided to end his career:
"At the end of spring training. My contract was due to expire anyway after I played at Tokyo Dome, but I wasn't performing well late into spring training and wasn't able to bounce back from that."

On whether he has any regrets:
How could I have regrets after seeing that (how the fans reacted) at the ballpark today? Of course, there's more that I could've done, but I've piled up what I could in order to deliver results. I can't say I worked harder than others, but I can say for sure I did my very best."

On his message to the younger generation:
"It doesn't have to be baseball. If you find something you are passionate about it'll become the fuel that propels you forward. So, I hope you find that. If you do, you'll overcome any wall that stands in your way. If you don't, you might give up when you see that wall. Try different things. It's not about having the skills or not, it's about finding what you love.

On the best memory from his playing career:
"I've aimed for different records but that's not so important. Records are meant to be broken. Being selected as an All-Star for 10 years, selected MVP, these things are little things. I was able to stand on that stage today because I pulled through even when I didn't get game time after May last year. For that, I feel a small sense of pride."

On what allowed him to remain committed to the game:
"My love for baseball. That was one thing that never changed."

On whether he considered playing in Japan again:
"No. I always considered that a minimum to play until 50. I'm not reaching it, but if I hadn't said that, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did. Words are like that. You throw them out and they can become targets for you."

On what life will bring in retirement:
"I don't know yet. But I'll probably still be working out. I can't stay still so I'll be moving around. I have no desire to slow down."

On his attitude to life:
"(I try to) set targets for myself, then go a little over that to keep surpassing myself. You can't set the bar too high. You just have to make steady efforts. You're not always going to move forward. Sometimes you take a step back but do what you believe. Sometimes you do it wrong, but that's how you find yourself, by taking detours."

On a potential managerial career:
"Being a manager is impossible. That is an absolute. I'm not popular, and I'm aware of that. There's a wall separating the pros from the amateurs in Japan and that makes things complicated. If I had a kid and he was a high school student, according to the rules, I can't coach him. To me that's strange."

On why he decided to retire now:
"I didn't want to play anywhere but the Mariners. It would have been completely normal for me to give up last May. But I stayed with the team and practiced with them because I was told 'Next year is not out of the question.' Had that not happened, today would not have happened."

On a message for his fans in the United States:
"I was told 'go back to Japan' many times. I was awed at the way they show respect when you show them, not in words but in action, what you can do. They don't accept you easily, but once they do, it's unbelievable how warm they are. I think that was how it was with the Seattle fans. I came close in New York. I'm sorry that the Seattle fans have not been able to see me play since I've returned."

On his wife Yumiko:
"She worked the hardest of all. I had 3,089 hits in America, and before each home game I would eat rice balls she made. She said she made 2,800 and wanted to hit 3,000. I'm not going to relax, but I want her to relax. And I have to mention our dog Ikkyu. He's a "shiba" spitz breed, 17 years and seven months. He's a wobbly grandpa but I see him embracing life, and it makes me want to work hard too. I'm not joking. I didn't expect him to be alive when I retire so this makes me emotional. I'm very grateful."

On the other potential paths he could have taken in life:
"I'd still be a baseball player. I'm sure I'd be having fun playing, maybe an expert at backlot baseball."

On advice he would give his elementary school self:
"Hey, you're not going to get a 100 million yen signing bonus. I did write in my graduation essay in sixth grade my dream is to become a No. 1 draft pick and receive a contract signing bonus of 100 million yen, but neither came true. Come to think of it, that's a failure."

On dealing with the loneliness of the job:
"I'm not feeling that at all now. By moving to America and joining the major leagues, I became a foreigner. Becoming a foreigner has taught me to be considerate and compassionate. These feelings only come through experience. I have felt lonely and suffered because of that many times, but those experiences will carry me to the next phase. Wanting to run away from your problems is a healthy response, but I feel it's important to tackle them when you're strong enough and have the energy. That's the challenge of being human."


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