Photo/Illutration Tadao Inoguchi, right in back row, a Nihon University board member, and Masami Yabumoto, left in back row, former board chairman of the medical corporation Kinshukai, with Hidetoshi Tanaka, chairman of the university’s board of directors (From Nihon University’s website)

The Japanese student protests of the 1960s, led by the All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee ("Zenkyoto") and spread nationwide, originated at two universities: the University of Tokyo and Nihon University (Nichidai for short).

At the latter, a probe by the National Tax Agency into alleged corruption among the university's board of directors revealed that 2 billion yen in spending had gone unaccounted for, sparking a far-reaching wave of campus activism.

Initially, only a handful of Nichidai students were involved in printing handbills demanding "full disclosure of accounting." The students reportedly sneaked into the deserted campus at night and scattered the handbills in classrooms and restrooms.

They needed to be stealthy to avoid getting caught and clobbered ruthlessly by their rightist peers, according to the book "Barikeido wo Fukinuketa Kaze" (The wind that blew through the barricade), by nonfiction author Katsuhiko Hashimoto.

A money scandal that has come to light recently at Nichidai feels like a throwback to that era.

Tadao Inoguchi, a member of the university's executive board, was arrested for alleged breach of trust. He is suspected of instructing an architectural firm to unlawfully divert 220 million yen ($1.9 million) to a dummy company.

The scandal unfolded at Nihon University Enterprise Co., an affiliate of the university.

Inoguchi, who oversaw the company's operation as a close aide of Hidetoshi Tanaka, chairman of the university's board, is also suspected of pocketing 25 million yen out of the missing 220 million yen. 

If that is true, I wonder if Inoguchi exploited his closeness to Tanaka, who is said to be "all powerful" at the university.

Plagued by the nation's low birthrate, many universities today are struggling to raise revenues and reduce expenditures. In fact, the purpose of establishing Nihon University Enterprise was to cut costs by streamlining the procurement of supplies.

But what would have been a smart move, enabling the university to take advantage of the merits of a private corporation, appears to have only brought out the downside of autocratic management.

Given the nature of this scandal, it would not be a surprise if it triggered a "second Nichidai student protest movement."

And not to be forgotten is that as a private university, Nichidai receives an annual subsidy of 9 billion yen, courtesy of the taxpayers.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 14

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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