Latest news with #NihonUniversity
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Ex-Nihon University weightlifting manager allegedly forced staff to give him rides
A former manager of Nihon University's weightlifting club who was arrested for fraudulently collecting school fees from scholarship students also forced coaches to drive him to and from work, Metropolitan Police said Wednesday. Kenji Nanba, 63, allegedly used his authority as manager to compel staff to give him rides. He is believed to have instructed several coaches to chauffeur him between his home in the city of Komae, Tokyo, and the university's campus in the city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa — a round trip of nearly 80 kilometers. He also allegedly made coaches greet him upon his arrival at the university, run errands such as buying lunch, and harshly reprimanded those who challenged his instructions. According to investigators, Nanba abused his influence as manager over personnel decisions, making it difficult for staff to defy his demands. Nanba was arrested Tuesday for defrauding ¥2.05 million ($14,000) from the scholarship students. Although tuition and other fees were supposed to be partially or fully waived for the students, he allegedly sent their parents inflated invoices for entrance and school fees. Under Nanba's direction, a coach in his 40s created the fraudulent invoices, determining the inflated amounts, police said. Parents were instructed to transfer the money to the club's bank account. A portion of the funds was then allegedly handed over to Nanba, with the rest paid to the university under the students' names. Police also found evidence that Nanba reviewed the invoices before they were sent. Nanba has denied the allegations, telling police: 'I received the money with the parents' consent, under the understanding it was a donation.' A graduate of Nihon University himself, Nanba became a middle school teacher in Yamagata Prefecture after graduating and was appointed manager of the weightlifting club in April 2000. He produced multiple Olympic athletes and earned a reputation as a respected manager. In parallel, he served as a professor in the university's College of Bioresource Sciences, where students reportedly viewed him as approachable and kind. However, within the weightlifting team, Nanba held what investigators and university officials described as absolute power. In a civil lawsuit demanding restitution of the funds he allegedly embezzled, Nihon University stated that Nanba had been 'an unshakable authority figure' whose word could not be opposed by either coaches or athletes. Nanba was also rumored to have had close ties with Hidetoshi Tanaka, the late former university chairman known as the 'Don of Nihon University,' a figure associated with corruption scandals. This relationship reportedly helped Nanba ascend unusually quickly to a professorship. Nanba's ability to allegedly defraud funds was facilitated by a long-standing, unauthorized practice at Nihon University which allowed coaches and managers of some athletic clubs to directly collect tuition and fees from students' families — a system that police believe may have enabled fraudulent activity. According to university officials, some clubs bypassed the school's official payment channels by asking parents to deposit entrance and tuition fees into club-controlled bank accounts. These funds were then transferred to the university, but without its oversight or approval. Despite repeated notices since around 2014 instructing all athletic departments to cease this practice, an internal probe conducted last year found that proxy collection remained in use by at least nine athletic clubs, including the weightlifting, basketball, and cycling clubs, While no personal misuse of funds was confirmed outside the weightlifting club, officials admitted the system lacked transparency. In the ongoing civil lawsuit filed by Nihon University seeking the return of improperly collected funds from Nanba, he said that it was common practice in some athletic clubs to admit underqualified students in exchange for agreed-upon 'donations.' Translated by The Japan Times
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Asahi Shimbun
Ex-coach accused of defrauding scholarship students
Nihon University's facility that houses its weightlifting team's practice facility in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on June 3 (Noriki Nishioka) The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on June 10 arrested Kenji Nanba, 63, a former head coach of Nihon University's weightlifting team, on suspicion of defrauding the parents of scholarship students who planned to join the team. According to investigative sources, in December 2022, Nanba allegedly lied to four parents of prospective team members that he had applied to the university for their children as scholarship students and told them that they would not be charged tuition or other fees after their second year. Then, Nanba, a resident of Komae, western Tokyo, is accused of defrauding them of a total of 2.05 million yen ($14,200) in admission fees, tuition, and facility and equipment funds. Scholarship recipients are determined by the university's headquarters and are essentially exempt from paying admission and tuition fees. According to investigative sources, Nanba collected approximately 38 million yen from 48 parents of scholarship students enrolled from fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2024. According to the university, Nanba spent much of the defrauded money for personal purposes. By last year, the university had refunded the money to the affected scholarship recipients and others. However, in a civil lawsuit filed by the university against Nanba, the former coach claimed that the money he received from the scholarship recipients was a 'donation.' Nanba said, 'Applicants who had difficulty in raising the admission fee or who had potential but had not proven themselves were treated as scholarship recipients if they first paid a donation. I only accepted the donation with the consent from their parents.' The university first disclosed this issue in July 2024. It revealed that Nanba sent an enrollment guide and invoice for payment to the parents of scholarship students with false information, such as 'exemption from payments starts from the second year,' and had them transfer the money to the team's account. The university dismissed Nanba from his position and reported him to Tokyo police. The university's weightlifting team was founded in 1961. It has won the national intercollegiate championships more than 20 times, including back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. The powerhouse team has also produced Olympic medalists in the past. Nanba had served as the head coach of the team since fiscal 2000. The scandal is the latest to plague sports teams and the administration at Nihon University. A subsequent internal investigation uncovered similar financial irregularities in the university's track and field and skating clubs. The track and field club had improperly collected approximately 44 million yen from 25 students, while the skating club had inappropriately garnered approximately 24 million yen from 29 students. In both cases, the university refunded the money to the victims. The university said its internal investigation did not confirm any personal use of the money by officials of these teams. According to investigative sources, the Metropolitan Police Department has not received any complaints regarding the two teams. After these problems were discovered, the university released a statement on its website, 'We deeply apologize to the affected team members, former team members, and their parents. We are determined to cut off the roots of the scandal and promote improvements and reforms.' In 2018, a malicious late hit on an opposing team's quarterback by a player on Nihon University's American football team became a highly publicized social problem. In 2021, the then university's chancellor was arrested on tax evasion charges. In 2023, the members of the American football team and others were caught up in an illegal drug case accused of cannabis possession and use of other illicit drugs. The scandal prompted the university to disband the football team. (This article was written by Arata Mitsui and Noriki Nishioka.)
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Former manager of Nihon University weightlifting club arrested over fraud
Tokyo police arrested a former manager of Nihon University's weightlifting club on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the club's scholarship students of money, including by claiming the funds would go towards tuition fees. Kenji Nanba, 63, was arrested on suspicion of swindling four scholarship students out of a total of ¥2.05 million in December 2022 by saying that the money included facility costs, from which they were actually exempt. Police believe that Nanba has collected a total of about ¥38 million from 48 students over 10 years by telling similar lies. He is believed to have used swindled money to buy business suits and bags and to cover the cost of painting his luxury BMW car. According to the university, Nanba began such scams around 20 years ago or earlier, receiving a total of ¥53.2 million. The university detected the fraud during an investigation into a separate scandal, and it has fully compensated 58 parents of former club members whom it confirmed as victims. Following his arrest, the university said in a statement that it deeply apologizes to society and will continue to fully cooperate with investigative authorities. Nanba became the club's manager in April 2000. After the fraud came to light, the university dismissed him in July 2024 and consulted with police. Established in 1965, the university's weightlifting club has won the national intercollegiate championships 23 times and produced many Olympic athletes.
2 days ago
Ex-Manager of Nihon Univ. Weightlifting Club Arrested over Fraud
News from Japan Society Jun 10, 2025 15:42 (JST) Tokyo, June 10 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo police arrested a former manager of Nihon University's weightlifting club on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the club's scholarship students of money, including in the name of tuition fees. Kenji Nanba, 63, was arrested on suspicion of swindling four scholarship students out of a total of 2.05 million yen in December 2022 by saying that the money included facility costs, from which they were actually exempt. Police believe that Nanba has collected a total of about 38 million yen from 48 students over 10 years by telling similar lies. He is believed to have used swindled money to buy business suits and bags and cover the cost of painting his luxury BMW car. According to the university, Nanba began such scams around 20 years ago or earlier and has earned a total of 53.2 million yen. The university detected the fraud during an investigation into a separate scandal, and it has fully compensated 58 parents of former club members whom it confirmed as victims. Following his arrest, the university said in a statement that it deeply apologizes to society and will continue to fully cooperate with investigative authorities. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Today
01-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Why are so many young Japanese giving up hope on raising a family?
According to 60-cycle of the Asian zodiac, 2026 will be Hinoeuma, the Year of the Fire Horse. Not just any horse year, but one that is said to be particularly inauspicious for females to be born. Based on a superstition dating back to pre-modern times, a woman born in a Fire Horse is supposedly jinxed and may cause the premature death of the man she weds. As evidence that at least some Japanese were still taking this Edo-era balderdash seriously as late as 1966 -- the previous Fire Horse year -- the number of births declined from 1.82 million in 1965 to 1.36 million in 1966 -- a 25% drop. Then in 1967 the number of births rebounded to 1.94 million. As Japan's birthrate has been in decline irrespective of the Asian zodiac, will next year's jinx even matter? Weekly Playboy (May 5) conducted a survey of 600 adult males and females (200 each in the 20-24, 25-29 and 30-34 age brackets) to inquire about their desire to have children. Of the respondents, 36.7% said they did not, and another 17.2% said probably not. These 53.9% were then asked the rationale for their response. Economic factors (lack of money) were cited by 16.1%, reasons other than money were named by 19.5% and both were cited by the remaining 64.4%. With multiple reasons given, 121 respondents said their present income was low; 77 said they did not expect their income to increase to a level where they could raise a family; and 47 cited low savings and assets. In a separate survey conducted last February, a research group at Nihon University reviewed the status of poverty among Japanese between the age of 15 to 39 years. The responses essentially confirmed Weekly Playboy's findings, with 52% replying that they did not have, nor did they wish, to have children. "In the survey, even young people with relatively high annual income of above 5 million yen, about 40% replied that they did not want children," said Professor Kaori Suetomi of Nihon University, whose group conducted the survey. "From this it can be concluded that the desire not to have offspring has even permeated a high percentage of young people with income above certain level." Other than reasons related specifically to money, the respondents to Weekly Playboy's survey gave the following reasons for not desiring offspring. In declining order, they included: Don't like children, no interest in having children (87 responses) Don't have confidence in ability to raise a child in a humane manner (78) No interest in marriage (75) No interest in romantic love (71) Having children would deprive me of time and freedom (54) Have no hope in Japan's future and feel sorry for children born in the future (45) My partner does not want children (32) More people are deciding not to have children (24) For health-related reasons (17) Cannot expect support from parents or family (11) "Young Japanese tend to be cautious and more risk-averse compared to those in other countries, so I think they are anxious about whether they will really be able to raise their children happily," Nichidai's Suetomi observes. "In reality, there are many enjoyable aspects to raising children, but since the correct ways to raise children are not widely known, the difficult aspects tend to stand out, which is why so many people are hesitant to have children." Suetomi also acknowledges that young people in Japan are prone to "time poverty," where they are short on time to do much else except work. "When you're young, you tend to work long hours because you want to advance in your career, which means you have less time to spend on yourself," she says. "This means that you don't have time to meet the opposite sex, date, get married, or have children." Yet another negative factor impacting the birth rate is the government's budgetary prioritization in favor of older people. "I think that people who grew up with the Liberal Democratic Party in power for such a long time have a strong sense of dissatisfaction that too much money is being spent on welfare for seniors," Suetomi remarked. "In fact, about 90 trillion yen of government funds are currently spent annually on measures for the elderly, while only about 10 trillion yen go to childcare support." Is there any hope, then, that the current dismal situation can be rectified? "Even among young people who say they don't want to have children now, there are probably many who would like to have children if reforms in working style progress, such as reducing long working hours and promotion of maternity and childcare leave," Suetomi suggests. "What's more, many young people who are employed at regular jobs worry that having children will somehow negatively affect their disposable income or their advancement at work. "In addition to more financial support from the government, there's a need to promote reforms at the workplace," Suetomi concludes. © Japan Today
