Battle of Titans! ESUJ Debate 2009

The ESUJ English Debate Competition for Adults was held on June 20 (Sat.) For the Eighth Competition, the venue was moved to Odaiba's Plaza HEISEI Tokyo International Exchange Center, with fourteen teams participating. English impromptu debate has become increasingly popular with adults, enjoying a sort of quiet ‘boom'.

Participants included employees of foreign companies, high school English teachers from Saitama Prefecture, a couple from the Kansai appearing for the first time, young adults, non-Japanese, and others of all ages and walks of life. Each team debated in two of the preliminary four rounds, from which the Best Four teams were decided.

Motions for the Preliminary Rounds
R 1: This House would set a minimum quota for female diet members in Japan.
R 2: This House believes that a strong yen is good for Japan.
R 3: This House would abolish inheritance tax.
R 4: This House believes that corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending should be maintained regardless of economic circumstances.

For the Semi-Final Motion: This House would not let languages die, both sets of two teams passionately and very thoroughly debated whether dialects were necessary and minority languages should be preserved, with the result that two teams of veteran debaters, Mind the Gap! (Isao Ayabe and Koji Nouchi) and Maple & Sakura (Shigeo Suzuki and Mathew Chromecki, last year's runner ups) advanced to the final round.

The final round occurred before a full house in the Media Hall. Final Motion was : This House would build a nuclear power plant in…Odaiba! The audience judges were deeply moved by the thoughtful, witty and heartfelt speeches and mature adult communication skills that were demonstrated. The result of the vote was Mind the Gap! were the winners, by 44 to 32 votes. Third place winners were: UT Shakaijin Sisters (Sumiko Yanagawa and Akiko Hamahara) and Kuji & Mari (Kuniyoshi Ito and Mari Suzuki). (Report of the Competition is posted on the ESUJ web site) This tournament in particular demonstrated once more the improvement in quality and broadening of the base of debating. To conclude this intellectual day, a celebratory drinks party was held against the backdrop of a huge ferris wheel in the night sky. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the event: debaters, judges, all who attended, and especially to Tatsunori Nishimura, Tournament Director, and his staff.

Each month English Club welcomes a speaker from various genres to its meeting at the Marunouchi Club, as it also successfully did in May and June. On May 19 (Tue.) Indian cooking specialist Mrs. Renu Arora spoke on the topic of "Indian Wisdom: Cooking with Spices." Renu-san brought the "must" spices for Indian cooking to the meeting, including turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and ajwain, and explained their special qualities and effects. Not only the flavor but also the aroma of spices has an important effect on Indian cuisine and their harmony in food is very important. They can also act as "miracle drugs" in treating illness, without fear of side effects, and Renu herself has used spices to recover from illness. In India daughters learn to cook "like Mother does", but since she's started teaching cooking in Japan a lot of questions have arisen such as "What is the correct amount" or "Why do you do that?" so she's had to study intently. Although she looks very nice in a sari, having lived in Japan for more than thirty years, Renu has almost become Japanese, to the degree that she automatically spoke in Japanese. There was also a delightful scene in which her husband supported her intently.

On June 16 (Tues.) English Club temporarily moved to the Marunouchi Café Members' Club, Club 21, Mr. Graham Davis of the Economist Group, which owns the English publication "The Economist", spoke on the topic of "Slower, lower and weaker―what the recovery will look like". The catch phrase of the Tokyo Olympics was "Faster, Higher, Stronger" but economic recovery for the present and near future is moving in the opposite direction, Mr. Davis said. Applying his deep knowledge and acute vision, the economics pro gave his analysis and opinion on numerous points including: The economic crisis in the autumn of 2008 was a result of the poor investment condition of financial circles and their inappropriate management. For the time being, an economic recovery cannot be anticipated. As for Japan, politics are a primary risk factor. A lively question-and-answer session with the businessmen in the audience ensued.

July 21 (Tue.), 2009 19:00-20:30　at Marunouchi Café
Speaker: Ms. Lucia Vancura 　Consultant, Promer Japan
"We Are What We Eat: The Present Food Situation, with Special Emphasis on Food in Japan" Food market consultant Lucia Vancura will explain how Japanese companies, farmers, and consumers impact the international food supply with some examples. Please apply to ESUJ office.

August English Club meeting will be summer vacation.