Doshisha chairman apologizes over fatal boat accident in Okinawa

Kyoto – The head of Doshisha, which operates Doshisha International Senior High School, has apologized over a boat accident in Okinawa Prefecture that left one female student dead, at his first news conference since the March 16 accident.

“I offer my deepest condolences for (the victim, Tomoka) Takeishi, and sincerely apologize to everyone concerned,” Eiji Hatta, chairman of Doshisha’s board of trustees, said at the news conference in Kyoto on Friday.

He observed a moment of silence for Takeishi, one of the two victims who died in the accident in which two boats carrying students and crew members capsized off the coast of the Henoko area in the city of Nago during an educational program near the construction site of a U.S. military facility set to take over the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air station in Ginowan, also Okinawa.

Hatta apologized for the delay in holding the press conference, which took place seven and a half months after the accident. He explained that he decided to hold the briefing to make an interim report on Doshisha’s handling of the issue, because the educational institution found that a full investigation into the accident would take time after setting up a committee to examine the neutrality of the high school’s education Oct. 22.

“I bear a heavy responsibility as chairman” in light of the education ministry’s finding that there were serious problems with the school’s safety management system, Hatta said.

The ministry has said the content of the school’s education on the relocation of the Futenma air station to the Henoko area violated the basic law on education, which stipulates political neutrality in education.

“The problem was that peace education was conducted from only one perspective,” Hatta said. “We need to make corrections.”

Hatta said he will resign after paving the way for improvements in the school operator’s governance system. “I want to steadily implement plans to improve education and fulfill my responsibilities until the end,” he said, indicating his wish to remain as Doshisha’s chancellor and trustee.

After the news conference, Takeishi’s parents released a statement that they feel “an indescribable sense of discomfort.” They criticized the school for failing to hold a news conference on many occasions, including when the education ministry announced its view on the school’s educational content.

“We want them to seriously reconsider what it means to fulfill accountability,” the parents said.