Dear colleagues,A book by Yamadaira Shigeki entitled *Yakuza ni Manabu Koshojutsu* (Learning from the Negotiation Techniques of the Japanese Mafia) has been much discussed in Japan (1). According to this book, the essential point is to "jump onto even the smallest slip of the tongue of those with whom one is negotiating, and to beat away at that slip over and over and over again - if this technique is pursued, in eight or nine cases out of ten, negotiations in which one is losing can be turned around to one's advantage". In a customer review available on amazon.co.jp, it has been noted that this is merely chicanery, an obstinate insistence on one's own viewpoint, that this "negotiation technique" is supported by the will to eventually resort to violence, and that readers who wish to live in a law abiding and democratic fashion can learn nothing from "a negotiation technique that is made possible only by the violence that lurks in the background".
(1) http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4344403126/Reading through the records of the numerous collective bargaining sessions that have been held at Ritsumeikan University and APU since last year, it is clear that the Board of Trustees far too frequently leaps on slips of the tongue made by, and launches persistent and ruthless attacks on, their negotiating partners, and in doing so closes the door to the opportunity to listen to correct arguments or criticisms. To realize this, for me, was a very sad and dispiriting experience. Yesterday, I listened to the TV hook up of the latest round of negotiations, and witnessed the actual interactions. Again, this was a shocking experience. My conjecture is that the reason the Board of Trustees, in recent years, is no longer functioning is because honest discussions are made impossible through the use of chicanery, an obstinate persistence in advocating one's own position, and by tripping up one's negotiation partners whenever possible.
There was a time when Ritsumeikan was a single campus, and when almost all members knew everyone else. This type of "negotiation technique" may well have been effective then. At the same time, this "negotiation technique" may well have been necessary in overcoming internal opposition and making Ritsumeikan as large as it is today - after all, making Ritsumeikan as large as it is today did require the institution to liberate itself from commonsensical views. However, in today's very large Ritsumeikan Academy, a "negotiation technique" that shouts down internal views is not only useless but actively harmful. As someone who respects the achievements of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, I came away with a deeper belief that it is important that he becomes aware that it is time for him to make the decision to retire.
Editor: Toru Tsujishita
( College of Science and Engineering, Professor )
Japanese version sent to 3870 faculty members and staffs,
archived in http://ac-net.org/rtm/No/93
this version sent to 405 faculty members,
archived in http://ac-net.org/rtm/No/99