Nihon University President, Veep Seen Resigning

Jiji Press

11:52 JST, November 27, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Nihon University President Takeo Sakai and Vice President Yasuhiro Sawada are seen resigning as advised over their handling of a drug scandal at the university’s American football club.

At an extraordinary board meeting Wednesday, Sawada was advised to resign immediately and Sakai to step down at the end of the current academic year through next March.

The two were asked to respond by Monday to the advice, which has no binding power.

Meanwhile, Mariko Hayashi, chair of the university’s board of trustees, has agreed to take a 50% pay cut decided at the meeting.

Sources said that Sakai and Sawada decided to resign as they think that further confusion should be avoided for the sake of the university and its students.

Last month, a third-party investigative panel released a report criticizing Sawada for failing to report swiftly to police about suspicious items including plant fragments found in the club’s dormitory.

The delay was “the biggest reason the [university] corporation’s credibility was seriously damaged,” the report said.

It also concluded that the university “had dysfunctional governance” as Sakai and Hayashi failed to fulfill their obligations to make reports to the board.

Following the report, the major private university created a team to draw up a management improvement plan, which is expected to be submitted to the education ministry this month.