The interviewer is noted pinball fan Samuel Claiborn, of course.
https://www.ign.com/articles/interview-pac-man-creator-toru-iwatani-on-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-first-video-game-blockbuster
I've taken the liberty of copy and pasting the relevant questions here, but I do recommend that you go to IGN also.

"What’s the first game you ever played? What was it like? How did you decide to make games?"

The games I first played were board games and card games. I even made my very own board game with its own set of rules back then. By the time I was in middle school, I took an interest in pinball and video games.

"I’ve read that you wanted to design pinball before you began work on video games. What’s your favorite pinball machine? Have you ever worked on one?"

Williams released a pinball machine called “Flash” back in 1979, and I liked its cool backglass and playfield design, and the machine’s captivating game features.

"Why wouldn’t Namco make pinball machines?"

It was because many parts and features comprising a pinball machine were patented by the pinball makers overseas. It would have been difficult for us to develop a machine without infringing on those patents, so instead, we developed the video game “GEE BEE” in 1978, which incorporated pinball features as part of its design.

"Did you ever play the Bally Midway pinball machines Baby Pac-Man and Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man? Do you think they are good representations of Pac-Man in pinball form?"

I did play the “Baby Pac-Man” pinball machine before, and I thought baby Pac-Man was depicted nice and cute. That being said, I wasn’t too keen on the playfield because it was a bit too small for my playing comfort.

(there are more questions and answers in the interview, I recommend checking it out)