The former prosecutor, Yasuhiro Sawada, the vice president of Nihon University, is in the middle of the controversy! What do you think about the loss of credibility?

The marijuana possession case involving a member of the American football team that was uncovered in August still casts a dark shadow over Nihon University, and in October, an audio recording of Chancellor Mariko Hayashi pressuring Vice President Yasuhiro Sawada to resign was leaked through Sawada’s agent. Rather than rebuilding the governance system, the university’s board of trustees has begun to engage in infighting.

The vice president did not report to the police the discovery of plant fragments believed to be marijuana in the football team’s dormitory, but kept them on campus for 12 days. The third-party committee denounced this as ‘the biggest cause of the loss of credibility. Chancellor Hayashi ordered Sawada to stop attending the board meeting, saying, ‘Sawada’s presence will have a negative impact on the granting of private school subsidies,’ which made Vice President Sawada distrustful, and his representative brought the recorded data of the conversation to Jiji Press.

At the November 10 meeting of the Board of Trustees, it was reported that a recommendation for the resignation of Chancellor Hayashi, President Takeo Sakai, and Vice President Sawada was considered, and the situation has become extremely confusing. A Nihon University employee laments, “The third-party committee also pointed this out.

As the third-party committee also pointed out, vital information from the frontline was covered up and never made its way to upper management on more than one occasion. It must mean that all they think about is self-preservation.”

According to this staff member, the scenario currently being drawn up by the upper management of Nihon University is “to keep Chancellor Hayashi at the top, but have President Sakai and Vice President Sawada resign. They fear that by replacing the chancellor, the Ministry of Education will send a new chancellor to the university and that they will lose their position.

In early November, we directly interviewed Vice President Sawada.

–What do you think about being denounced as “the biggest culprit in the loss of trust?

…………”

–What are your thoughts on Chancellor Hayashi’s call for his resignation?

Please come to …… and ask Mr. Hayashi before you come.”

After answering in this way, he got into the car that had come to pick him up and left.

What does Nihon University think about the fact that a recording of the conversation between Chancellor Hayashi and Vice President Sawada was leaked to the outside world and that reform has not progressed? The university’s public relations department responded to our interview as follows.

The conversation between Chancellor Hayashi and Vice President Sawada was a discussion regarding personnel matters for the board of directors, which was not to be disclosed to the public, and we sincerely regret that it was leaked to outside parties. We are reviewing the composition and number of board members and making various other improvements.”

The private school subsidy was not granted for the third consecutive year. The swamp into which Nichi-Dai has fallen into is too deep and dark.

From the December 1, 2023 issue of FRIDAY