The Union News Vol. 1, No. 10, 22 December 2000

The Union News, an English newsletter of the Hokuriku University Union,is published from time to time as need arises in the (anonymous) editors'judgment.

Hatsugai vs. Kitamoto
Showdown at the Hokuriku Corral Early January 2001 is likely to be marked by a war of a kind between Prof. Yoshihiko Hatsugai and the board/management led by chairman Yoshiro Kitamoto.
On Thursday, December 22, the professor of the Japanese constituion or his lawyer walked into Kanazawa
District Court to file papers. Initially he is seeking an injuction to keep his job at Hokuriku University until March 31. The board in early
December sent a letter to his home in Aichi Prefecture that he must leave the university on Friday, December 22.
The same day, president Susumu Kawashima attended a student meeting to "explain" the whole affair.
The teachers were shut out as several office staffers blocked their wayinto the big Room 201.
According to students and press reports, he merely told an estimated 400 students not to worry about the credits for the professor's classes. Themeeting was slated to last one hour from 12:30, but the president left inmidway on the grounds that a student’s attempt to ask a question represented  "a violation of the rule."
It's not clear if there were ground rules for the meeting, which the student government body called the Gakuyukai sponsored.
The meeting was reported by at least one local TV station on Thursday evening and by at least four dailies. Of the four, the Asahi reported that on September 14, chairman Yoshiro Kitamoto "placed a Japanese sword near his throat" in an attempt to force him to give up his post as not only dean at the Faculty of Law but his professorship as well.
As reportedly widely, Hatsugai-san ostensibly wrote a letter of resignation on August 31 as his family required more of his attention in  AichiPrefecture. He told the press, however,
Susumu Kawashima deceived and played a trick on him for the board to get the critical letter.
The Asahi also indicated that Kawashima at the September 14 meeting at the chairman's office merely watched the sword being introduced and demonstrated by his superior.
The president told the Asahi that the sword was shown "for a different issue." He apparently did not elaborate, judging from the lengthy newspaper story.
Implications are significant. The very fact is  chilling that a manager at an educational institution possesses and keeps a sword near his office.
Meanwhile, the Union on Tuesday, December 19, proposed a collective bargaining session regarding the so-called Hatsugai issue. The management refused it, insisting that "Prof. Hatsugai is leaving on his own. Thus, this is not an item to be discussed" between the Union and management.
(See the Japanese edition of the Union News, No. 164, December 21 for this and other points.)
Back to the students. They not only managed to have the president attend the unprecedented meeting but reportedly gathered at least 1,400 signatures for a petition to keep Prof. Hatsugai at the Faculty of Law. The petition may also be demanding the resignation of Kitamoto and/or  Kawashima, judging from the warning from the dean of student affairs that the students' campaign is "slandering" specific person or persons.
   There is no evidence that the dean obtained  evidenceconfirming that the students' efforts are tantamount to "slander." He reportedlyplans to penalize the students who provided signatures for the petition.Would it be possible to punish 1,450 students?  
On Friday, the unilaterally set deadline for the professor's departure,dozens of students were  seen present at his office to prevent the officestaff from dragging him out.
Wish You a Happy New Century!