1. Self-introduction

(Mr. Nakamura gegins his talk now.)
The room here is small, so there is no need to use a microphone, but as I am elderly, my voice may be difficult to hear.
Thank you for coming all the way to Mukojima across the river today.
The pamphlets you have in your hands (“Cultural Properties of Sumida Ward” and others) are courtesy of the Sumida Local History Museum. Sumida Ward has long been famous as a town of craftsmen, and this is also mentioned in the pamphlets, so please take your time to look through them when you return home.

Today's event was organized with the assistance of Mr. K (1964 graduate of the Faculty of Sociology) and Ms. Watanabe (1980 graduate of the Faculty of Economics), and I would like to explain my relationship briefly with Mr. K and Ms. Watanabe.
　
The “December Club” is the name of the alumni association for those who graduated from Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in the second half of 1941, and it is a gathering of students who graduated early in December of that year.
Looking back ahead of the 60th anniversary of the alumni association's graduation (2001), we realized that the December Club had accumulated an enormous amount of materials.
We decided to allocate a budget of 300,000 yen to introduce these materials on a website, planning to create roughly 30 pages with headings and summaries (with the intention of also making the library's books available for viewing).
Mr. K, recognizing the immense value of these materials, compiled all records from the 20th to the 60th anniversary of the December Club's formation over a 40-year period and made them available on the website and on CD-ROM. This is where my relationship with Mr. K began.
Ms. Watanabe provided technical assistance for the website.

Impressed by Mr. K's personality, I wanted him to learn about the history of Hitotsubashi University and the history of rowing. So, during this year's cherry blossom viewing, I took him to the Sumida Local Culture Museum. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and we enjoyed the cherry blossoms along the Sumida River. On the way back, we had dinner at the soba restaurant “Towada” in Asakusa.
At that time, I said,
“To understand Hitotsubashi's rowing, you must watch the intercollegiate race against the University of Tokyo, the ‘Shōtōsen Match.’ By watching this, I think you will understand the role of rowing within Hitotsubashi. The Shōtōsen Match will take place soon. Will you come?”
He came and posted the details of that day on the website. Hitotsubashi University won five consecutive victories against the University of Tokyo. This was the first time such winning in the eight-man boat race against the University of Tokyo.
I believe that he gained a deeper understanding of rowing through this event, including the victory celebration that followed. This was the catalyst for today's event.

The attendees today are mainly from JFN, as well as Mr. T, the business manager of the Josui Association (Mr. T graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1987). I believe these are individuals who will play an important role in Hitotsubashi University's future. Current members of the rowing club are also present.
Though the number is small, I recognize this as a meaningful gathering for the university's future development. I will introduce myself using the materials in your hands. I will use an article published in the anthology “Hatou” (Waves), which was published in 1981 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of graduation. (Ms. Watanabe and Mr. K will read it aloud.)

It has been 20 years since I wrote this article.
During that time, I served as a board member for two years, an executive board member for two years, and an auditor (two terms) for four years, totaling eight years as an officer of the Josui Association.
I had the opportunity to meet many distinguished individuals, which made for a very fulfilling period. As a result, I have become increasingly healthy over the past 20 years. Although I was not originally in good health, the blood test results I receive every month at the hospital have been improving steadily.
“Why am I improving so much at this age?”
At 84 years old, I am so healthy that I am asked by doctors about my health regimen. I have not done anything special, but I have simply been dedicated to helping others.
Thanks to that, I am in good health

2. How I came to enroll
at Tokyo University of Commerce

It would be pointless to talk about whatever comes to mind without knowing what everyone is interested in at today's meeting. Mr. K gave me the following questions.

Answering each of these questions would take five or six hours, so I will focus on a few.
First, “Why did you enroll at Tokyo University of Commerce, and how did that come about?”

Mr. S (Class of 1942) from my middle school class (Tokyo Municipal First Middle School, now Tokyo Metropolitan Kudan High School) is in attendance. We were in the same class in the middle school. I enrolled at Hitotsubashi one year earlier than him, so he graduated in September 1942.
There are some points that are difficult to discuss in front of him, but since this is such an opportunity, I will speak frankly.

This may sound like bragging, but...
My father was from Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture. Kumagaya City was once a post town along the Nakasendo Road, and Kumagaya Naozane founded a temple there, which was named Kumagaya (Yukoku) Temple, and built a large temple complex. While it is somewhat known for this, it is still a rural town.
My father was born there and was an exceptionally talented boy. At the time, there was a “skipping grades” system, so he skipped to middle school after fifth grade and to high school after fourth grade. He then enrolled in the Electrical Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. There, he was a classmate of Mr. Yagi, the founder of the Yagi antenna. After graduation, he was involved in business dealings with GE in the United States.
For that reason, I had decided from childhood that if I were to pursue higher education, it would be the science department at First High School. I had no interest in anything else, so in the mock exam during my fourth year of middle school, I had planned to take the entrance exam for First High School's science department.
That year (1936), the subject requiring memorization for the First High School science department exam was “history.” I had not studied history, so I had no confidence in that subject. I had expected physics or chemistry to be on the exam. Since it was history that year, I was in trouble.
That same year, the memorization subject for the preparatory course at Tokyo Commercial University was, surprisingly, “chemistry.” Coincidentally, my cousin was attending Tokyo Commercial University (graduated in 1939, vice president of Mitsui & Co.), and he was also an alumnus of Tokyo Municipal First Middle School. He had been encouraging me to apply to Tokyo Commercial University.
“Since the memorization subject is chemistry, maybe I should try applying to Tokyo Commercial University this year.”
That's how I ended up taking the entrance exam for the preparatory course at the Tokyo University of Commerce.

People who take the entrance exam for the University of Commerce don't study chemistry. So I think there were quite a few people who had a hard time with chemistry.
There were five math questions, two of which were tricky. I just happened to get lucky. It didn't bother me at all. Therefore, in the 1936 entrance exam for the preparatory course at the University of Commerce, I scored perfect marks in chemistry and math.
English and essay writing were probably no match for current students or those who had taken the exam once before, but I ended up passing because chemistry and math went well. Out of the five students from my class who took the exam, I was the only one who passed.
I had no intention of going, so I told my class teacher, “I want to withdraw from Tokyo Commerce University because I'm going to take the exam for First High School next year,” but he strongly urged me, “That place is pretty good, so you should go.” At the time, the Municipal High School was an academic-oriented school, so as a teacher, he was deeply concerned about how many students would enter national universities.
From my class, one student entered Keio University, a private university, and I entered Hitotsubashi University, a national university. That year, only two students were admitted. Therefore, I was told to “go to Tokyo University of Commerce” no matter what.
At the time, my family was not very wealthy, so when I received an offer from the Municipal High School to be a scholarship student with tuition and lunch fees waived, I ended up enrolling in the preparatory course at Tokyo Commercial University (presently, Hitotsubashi University).

After enrolling, I came to appreciate the merits of Hitotsubashi University. Thanks to the training I received in Professor Tetsuzo Ota's seminar at Hitotsubashi, I am still able to contribute as an active consultant today. One source of my energy is related to my work, but becoming an accounting specialist has had a significant influence.
As I will mention later, being involved in Hitotsubashi University's history through accounting rather than business has been very beneficial for me.

Tokyo University of Commerce was not the university I originally aimed to attend, but now, over 60 years after graduation, I can confidently say it was the right choice.