12th Debate Competition a Big Success
Seikei the Champions at long last

The annual ESUJ University Debating Competition took place on October 11and 12 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Yoyogi. Despite continuing debate committee concerns about the flu epidemic, the only unfortunate happening was the forced withdrawal of Keio Team 1 (for whom Seikei Team 2 were substituted). The fierce contest started with 32 teams from 28 universities. Four rounds took place on the first day, with each team eagerly doing their best to complete the exhausting course. This year's reception for the teams and competition participants was held after the first day's competition, with debaters, judges and the UK squad enjoying convivial conversation.

The following day the eight teams surviving the previous day's contest were announced. This year the line-up was full of variety, with many “new faces”. From here on out the competition followed tournament format, with many fierce contests ensuing. Interspersed among the debate rounds were a first-time ever Panel Talk and a Model Debate about the problem of military bases on Okinawa, a motion strongly requested by the UK Team because of the topic's lack of familiarity to them! Following the quarter and semi-finals, the grand final took place between two first time finalists, Yokohama City University and Seikei University. The motion was “This House would abolish the retirement age”. Both teams fought with much good humor. At the end of the day Seikei University had achieved its long-sought victory. Congratulations!

A huge thanks to everyone involved: the participants and their supporters, the judges, our honored guest, British Embassy Minister Mr. David Fitton, the enthusiastic audience, this year's wonderful five-person British Team, and the more than one hundred volunteers who helped us.

Results are posted on the ESUJ web site. →Check it out!

Once more this year with the cooperation of ESU London, four superb debaters active in the UK accompanied by ESU London's coach specialist were dispatched to Japan, from October 5-13. All members of this year's wonderful team have fine careers and proved to be wise and open-minded. With ESU London's energetic young coach Jason Vit leading them, they participated in very well-received seminars in numerous places.

On Oct. 6, they participated in a debate seminar hosted by JPDU Kansai at Osaka University for the first time. More than 140 people attended this very successful event. On Oct. 8, 370 high school students of Saitama Prefectural Ohmiya Senior High School were gathered in the gymnasium just as a typhoon paralyzed all traffic headed for the town and delayed the start of the seminar. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm the students showed upon seeing a real live debate and the effort of the high school student debaters themselves before the British Team were very impressive. In the evening, a seminar was hosted by JPDU for advanced level student debaters hoping to appear in World Competitions.

On Oct. 10, ESUJ offered full cooperation at a seminar in a series hosted by the Japan Professional School of Education on the topic of training of future teaching staff. This substantial seminar included discussion of how debate is taken up in education in English-speaking countries and non English-speaking countries and a lecture on the effectiveness of debate, etc. Examples of how debate has been introduced in Japanese high schools were also described. The seminar was very successful due to the new points of view expressed. Once again this year the team enjoyed their first visit to Japan despite their full schedule. Thank you!

English Club at Marunouchi Café is always fully subscribed. On Sep. 15, the ever-popular Toshiyuki Inoue and his jolly ‘crew' presented the second round of Practical Training in Public Communication in English. Once again there was a full house and plenty of enthusiasm for the one-on-one training and ‘entertainment-model debate'. On Oct. 20, Ms Lia Cosco spoke on the present state of international schools in Japan, discussing the popularity of these schools among Japanese parents of purely Japanese children who are neither ‘returnees' nor have a non-Japanese parent and explaining in the students' own words the identity problems they may develop, for a very interesting talk about a topic there are few opportunities to get the real lowdown on.

● November 17 (Tuesday) 19:00-20:30 at Marunouchi Café
Speaker: Mr. Hans Brinckmann
“The certainties of Showa as seen from uncertain Heisei”

http://www.esuj.gr.jp/jitow/eng/

DPJ's Foreign Policy Raises Hopes... and Concerns
SOEYA Yoshihide Oct. 26

The Significance of the Democratic Party's Landslide Victory and Issues that Lie Ahead
YAMADA Takao Oct. 20

America, Britain, France… and Hiroshima
NISHIKAWA Megumi Sep. 29

Saying Sayonara to the "Inscrutable Japan" Theory in the Wake of the Democratic Party's Landslide Victory
KITAMURA Fumio Sep. 18

Don't Misread What Election Results Imply
ONO Goro Sep. 18