Reporters gather outside the home of Nihon University Chairman Hidetoshi Tanaka in Tokyo's Suginami Ward on the afternoon of Nov. 29, 2021. (Mainichi/Naoaki Hasegawa)

       TOKYO -- The financial scandal that hit Japan's largest university has now reached top management following the arrest of Hidetoshi Tanaka, the institution's 74-year-old board chair, on suspicion of tax evasion.

       Tanaka has been at the helm of Nihon University, which has the most enrollment among Japan's higher education institutions, for 13 years. Known as "the don of Nihon University" among those involved in the school, one source told the Mainichi Shimbun that his "unusually long rule had warped governance, and led to him treating the university like his private property."

       The tax evasion accusation stems from tens of millions of yen in kickbacks that ex-university board member Tadao Inoguchi, 64, and Masami Yabumoto, the 61-year-old former head director of the Kinshukai medical corporation, claim they paid Tanaka. Both are now being prosecuted for breach of trust. But Tanaka has maintained his innocence, insisting to those around him that "I have no desire for money at my age," even after Inoguchi and Yabumoto had supposedly admitted to the allegations in November.

       However, at about 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 29, several members of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation unit visited Tanaka at Nihon University Hospital, where he had been staying. Tanaka, citing a worsening chronic health condition, had been in hospital since the investigation into Inoguchi and Yabumoto picked up steam in early September. But on that morning, the prosecutors insisted he accompany them.

       One Nihon University executive told the Mainichi Shimbun, "With the top man gone, this organization can get cleaned up."

       Backed by the university's 1 million-plus strong alumni association and through personal connections he had developed during the years he served as head coach of the school's sumo club, Tanaka was selected to the board of directors in 1999. He then stood for chairman in 2008. It had been customary for the board to vote unanimously for whomever the university president recommended, but Tanaka pressed his candidacy, insisting that "the rules say the directors mutually vote (for chairman)."

       Tanaka won the vote by a slim margin, and the board has reappointed him as chairman four times since, most recently in September 2020.

       Tanaka has also held a Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) board seat since 1995, and was the body's deputy chair at one point. A former JOC member who served at the same time said of Tanaka, "He looks intimidating at first glance, but he's very good at taking care of others and has good leadership qualities. He was the kind of person who says, 'Everything will be okay if you just say something to me.'" But in 2015, when he was the JOC's deputy chair, some foreign media outlets reported that Tanaka was involved with a crime syndicate group, and the topic even came up in Diet debate.

       Hidetoshi Tanaka, chairman of the board at Nihon University, is pictured in this September 2020 file photo. (Mainichi/Yoshinori Matsuda)

       According to multiple sources close to Nihon University, as Tanaka gained power inside and outside the campus, certain employees were given what amounted to demotions. There were many university workers opposed to the "Tanaka rule," while executives who worked in Tanaka's interests found career success. The chairman was soon being referred to as "the dictator," imposing a "reign of terror."

       Furthermore, it became common to see Nihon University executives and contractors frequenting the "chanko" hot pot restaurant run by Tanaka's wife in Tokyo's Asagaya district. People at the school called this "Asagaya visits," and the indicted Inoguchi and Yabumoto were said to be regular customers.

       "If you didn't make these 'Asagaya visits,' people said there was no way you could become a university board member or trustee," said one of many Nihon University sources who spoke about the practice. "Board member Inoguchi was the most enthusiastic of patrons."

       Tanaka has not proffered any explanation to the board about the personal payoffs he is alleged to have received. Meanwhile, a special investigation team set up by the university has yet to hold a single news conference. On Nov. 24, education minister Shinsuke Suematsu directed the university leadership including board members to swiftly fulfill its responsibility to explain the situation.

       A university source told the Mainichi Shimbun, "There had long been rumors that the chairman was colluding with contractors, and the school did an internal probe, but suspicions remained unanswered. Finally, someone's brought a scalpel."

       A former Nihon University student said, "The school's applicant numbers dropped a lot because of the dirty tackle scandal in our American football club. The latest incident has heightened social mistrust (in the school), and I've been worried about its impact. We have to make the arrest (of Tanaka) the trigger for reform at the school."

       (Japanese original by Ai Kunimoto, Tomonori Matsuo, Shintaro Iguchi and Jintaro Chikamatsu, Tokyo City News Department)

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