21 Mar 2019, At the graduation ceremony of Akita University of Art,
The 22-year-old student Ayumi Nagato made a script about Aegis Ashore missile defense system.
Recently, the Japanese government arguing over the plan to build the system 2.5km far from the university.
Following sentences were translated from the original script:
It's a fact that while we were in college, important issues have emerged for residents and university officials, such as the plan to deploy a permanently installed anti-missile system. As a student who lives and studies here, issues like this are too big to ignore. I hope that students and everyone in the community can lead a peaceful life,
She told to the Sakigake News Agency about that she was being pressured by a university official.
Ten days before the ceremony, the official student's affair asked her to make a speech at the ceremony.
Ayumi Nagato was talking to Sakigake News Agency.
After the rehearsal, one day before the ceremony, the head of the student affair office Tamura called me at the night and asked.
"Can you take out the lines that you wrote?"
When I asked why, the official said, “Because it’s a political and delicate issue.”
He then added, “I'll decide (what to do) in consultation with my superiors, but I want you to give it some thought.”
After thinking about it for an hour or so, I agreed to delete the part in question from the speech, thinking,
“I may not have enough knowledge and skills to properly convey (the issue).”
Finally, her will was bent by the official's threat. That's how Japanese society kills the voice.
If you got a phone call directly from University's office one day before the graduation ceremony,
You would be frightened about what going on around you.
And please read her original sentences, I think her speech is fair and honest.
The local residents reacted.
"It's not prejudiced opinion. What is the matter?"
22 Mar, One of University's director trustee Hutaki responded to the Sakigake News Agency:
I heard Tamura said:
"I didn't say, Delete it".
But I heard Tamura told her:
"It's very sensitive I need to check what UP(supervisor) think".
I think that attitude was bad as the student affair office. I'm sorry.
So, who's in charge of this problem? Seems like no one truly sorry.
Everyone did "Sontaku" in this incident. 忖度(Sontaku) What is the definition of this word? It has become famous when Moritomo happened.
Here is the definition by his lawyer and translator.
"conjecture" or "surmise," "reading between the lines," "reading what someone is implying."
So there is not one direct word in English which is what lead to this, just to add some information.
This is the bad culture of the Japanese organization.
In this situation, the head of the student affair office Tamura conjectured the lines is not good in the ceremony.
And he implicated something bad happens if the student Ayumi spoke out about it.
Yesterday, the headmaster of the Akita University of Art Kirishima spoke to the students at the entrance ceremony.
"Our University value Academic freedom and Freedom of expression"
He responded to the Sakigake: "Following the graduation ceremony, I talked in general."
★References
Asahi "Valedictorian asked to redact mention of Aegis Ashore in speech"
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201904010041.html
Sakigake News Agency 22 of Mar and 23 of Mar
https://www.sakigake.jp/news/article/20190322AK0003/
https://www.sakigake.jp/news/article/20190323AK0001/
HuffPost
https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2017/03/23/moritomo-sontaku-in-english_n_15572790.html
