I happen to be in Tokyo while one of the most dramatic social ethics stories of the year is unfolding in real time. If you haven’t seen “The Vicious Tackle” （悪質タックル; akushitsu takkuru） yet, please avail yourself now:
Yes, that’s just what it looks like: An American football game in which a player hard-tackled the quarterback several seconds after he’s clearly snapped the ball. The incident happened on May 6th during a game at Nihon University in a match against Kansai University, and immediately drew headlines across the country.
Evidence began to come forth that the tackle wasn’t the act of a single player, but the execution of orders by the program’s director, Uchida Masato, and the team’s coach, Inoue Shou. Directory Uchida took responsibility for the tackle and resigned, but would only admit to not educating the players properly. Both he and Inoue steadfastly denied ordering the hit. The injured player’s father, Okuno Yasutoshi, eventually filed a criminal complaint that included the player who committed the tackle as well as the director and coach.
Fast forward to this week, and the story has taken an even more dramatic turn. The player who committed the tackle, Miyagawa Daisuke, held a press conference, during which he offered a seemingly heartfelt apology to the player he injured.
Saying that part of his recompense is to tell the full story of what happened, Miyagawa discussed how Director Uchida Masato and Coach Inoue spent a week harassing him into taking out the opposing QB, with Miyagawa reporting the men saying things like, 「 相手のQBがけがをして秋の試合に出られなかったらこっちの得だろう」(“If the other team’s QB gets injured and can’t make the fall season, that’s a boon for us”).
The press conference, argues a writer for Japan’s The Page, showed up a number of lies and half-truths from Nihon University:
二つ目は、「本人も反則指示がなかったと言っている」との広報コメントだ。これも、この日、真っ赤な嘘であることが明らかになった。しかも、5月11日に宮川氏が、井上コーチに連絡をして、本部にある内田前監督の部屋で、監督と井上コーチ、宮川氏と両親の5人で会談を行い、宮川氏の父親から「個人的にでも相手方選手と家族に謝りに行きたい」と申し入れたところ、監督からは「今はやめてほしい」と拒否され、父親が「監督、コーチから選手に対して対戦校のクオーターバックにけがを負わせろと指示を出し、選手はそれに従っただけである」ということの公表を求めて、そのメモを渡したが、これも「公表できない」と断られている。ここまで選手が訴えていたにも関わらず、日大側は、監督、コーチの有利な方向に情報を誘導しようとしていたのだ。
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4つ目の矛盾点は、内田前監督が辞任の囲み会見で言った「私がまず関学大に直接お会いして、直接謝罪するのが大事で今まで時間的に迷惑をかけた」との発言だ。雲隠れしてきたことと、辞任が遅れたことへの言い訳だが、宮川氏と父親が「個人的に謝罪にいきたい」と申し入れても「それはやめてほしい」と止めておき、自らもなかなか謝罪を行っていなかったのだから言動が矛盾している。
The second lie is [Director Uchida] saying, “Even the player himself said there was no order to break the rules.” This also today was exposed as a bald-faced lie. Additionally, on the 11th, Miyagawa contacted Coach Inoue, and when the five, including Miyagawa and his parents, met in Director Uchida’s room, Miyagawa’s father suggested, “We want to go meet the other player’s family and personally apologize,”
Director Uchida responded, “I wish you’d drop it,” and refused the request. When his father said, “Director, he just followed an order from the coach to injure the opposing quarterback,” and produced a memo, the Director also refused and said, “That can’t become public.”
Despite this behest from the players, Nihon University, the Director and the Coach tried to steer the information in a direction that was favorable to them.
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The fourth point of contradiction is when Director Uchida at his resignation press conference said, “I first thought that it was important to apologize directly to the university, and this caused a lot of trouble for me, time-wise.” It was an excuse for disappearing and holding the press conference late. But when Miyagawa and his father said, “We want to go apologize personally,” they were stopped with, “I wish you’d drop it,” and given that even he didn’t go apologize, his pronouncements don’t add up.
Despite the hideousness of his action, Miyagawa was immediately lauded by many Japanese in the press and on social media for his bravery, not only for speaking the truth, but in not shirking responsibility in the process:
「判断できなかった自分の弱さです。少し考えれば間違っていたことを判断できた。自分の意思を強くもつことが今後重要だと思う。でも、あのとき自分はそのこと（違反行為をしない）は考えられなかった。1週間で追い詰められ、やらないという選択肢はない状態になっていた。今後は、自分の意思に反するようなことはフットボールにかかわらず、すべてにおいてするべきじゃないと思う」
“My weakness is my failure in judgment. If I’d thought about it a little, I wouldn’t known it was wrong. From here on out it’s important that I hold fast to my own intentions. But at that time, I couldn’t think of not doing it. I’d been pursued for a week into a position where refusal wasn’t a choice. From now on, I know it’s important, not just in football, but in everything, to set aside things that run against my own judgment.”
What did not earn praise was last night’s hastily held 8pm press conference, at which Director Uchida and Coach Inoue both steadfastly insisted (in that oh so polite Japanese way) that Miyagawa was a shit-faced liar, that no one ever ordered anyone to tackle anyone, and that, in fact, neither of them even knew what football was. (Okay, I may have made that last bit up.) Director Uchida insisted that he never even saw the tackle, leading to cackles of disbelief on Japanese social media.
To make matters worse, the press conference lead from Nihon Daigaku, who realized that things weren’t going well for the home team, kept talking over reporters and trying to end the press conference early. According to one news report, the leader, Yomekura Hisakuni, interrupted reporters no less than 27 times in two hours.
だが、司会者は質問に答えようとする内田氏や井上氏を遮り、「記者会見はこれで終わります」「もう十分（質問を）聞きました」と、打ち切る姿勢を崩さない。 「この会見は、みんな見てますよ」という声に対して、司会者は会見を「見てても見てなくてもいいんですけど。同じ質問を繰り返されたら迷惑です」と発言した。 さらに、「司会者のあなたの発言で、日大のブランドが落ちてしまうかもしれない」という声に対しては「落ちません。余計なこと言わず」と言い張る場面もあった。
But [the host] talked over Uchida and Inoue as they tried to answer reporter’s questions, saying, “This press conference is over,” “Enough already, we’ve heard your questions,” and wouldn’t stop trying to end it.
When someone said, “Everyone’s watching this press conference,” he pronounced, “I don’t care if they’re watching or not watching. It’s bothersome when the same questions are being repeated over and over.”
Additionally, responding to someone who said, “Your pronouncements as PR lead will probably make the Nihon Daigaku brand drop,” he insisted, “It won’t drop. Keep your opinions to yourself.”
Okuda, the father of the injured player, was so unmoved by the university’s press conference that he posted a call on his Facebook page asking people to send him videos showing Director Uchida watching the game as the tackle happened. In a display of magnanimity, he also said he’d be writing a letter to prosecutors and the courts asking for Miyagawa’s punishment to be lowered. As for Uchida and Inoue? Well, he’ll be lobbying to have the book thrown at them.
This story is far from over, and I’ve no doubt more interesting tidbits will come to light as the month rolls on. Stay tuned for updates.
