The Meiji University team (18 volunteers from the OTA Shozo seminar and YANAGAWA Eiji seminar, School of Law) won 7th place in the Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition held at Sophia University on December 9 (Sat.) and 10 (Sun.).
This competition was established in 2002 by Professor NOMURA Yoshiaki (Osaka University), Professor MORISHITA Tetsuo (Sophia University), Professor OTA Shozo (Meiji University), and others as an inter-university forum for negotiations and arbitration in order to deepen public interest in negotiation and increase student incentive to learn negotiation. The tournament encompasses both a Japanese division and an English division, and 18 volunteers from the OTA seminar and YANAGAWA seminar of Meiji University participated in three Japanese language teams and one English language team, competing against universities in Japan and overseas.
(Contestants: Tohoku University, The University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Sophia University, Chuo University, Gakushuin University, Nihon University, Meiji University, Rikkyo University, University of Tsukuba, Keio University, Hitotsubashi University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Doshisha University, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Seinan Gakuin University, Team Australia, National University of Singapore, National University of Mongolia, SolBridge International School of Business (South Korea) 22 schools in total)
The competition addresses both international business arbitration and international business negotiation, using hypothetical original issues presented by the steering committee. This year’s theme focused on space resource development. In the mock arbitration on the first day, the contestants worked on (A) problems with the outcome of the results of lunar resource development, (B) problems with the failure to launch a communications satellite, and (C) whether or not to recuse the arbitrator, an arbitration case on near-future legal matters, and in the mock negotiations on the second day, they engaged in (1) negotiations to materialize a policy for manned resource exploration on the lunar surface and (2) contract negotiations for satellite communication services with a satellite constellation using new small satellites.
Comment from Professor OTA Shozo
In my role as supervisor and adviser, I extend my sincere appreciation for the enthusiastic and appropriate guidance provided not only by last year's fourth-year students who competed but also by Meiji University alumni, alumni from other universities, and the attorneys and foreign law attorneys who approached us and provided coaching. It goes without saying that the success achieved is undoubtedly a result of the relentless preparation and efforts of the participating Meiji University students. The enthusiasm of this year's participants was so great and so intense that I was talking with Professor YANAGAWA about the possibility of winning a prize this year. Seeing it turn into reality is truly overwhelming. I hope you will continue to strive even harder with the goal of winning the championship.
Comment from Professor YANAGAWA Eiji
The Meiji University team began preparing from the beginning of this academic year to win a prize for the first time in this negotiation competition, and since October, when the issues of this negotiation competition were announced, the teams, supported by alumni and various others, showed their youth and grew by leaps and bounds just before the actual competition. The students took the initiative in researching and acquiring knowledge on cutting-edge issues in practical areas such as space law, which resulted in the award, and I believe that, just like the outcome, the growth process deserves acknowledgment and appreciation. I hope that you all will not be content with these results and will continue to progress further.
≪Japanese version≫