The Waseda University Oratorical Society (Japanese: 早稲田大学雄弁会, Hepburn: Waseda Daigaku Yūbenkai; historical orthography: 早稻田大學雄辨會) is a student debate and oratory club of Waseda University, established in 1902. Because many of its alumni have become politicians or journalists, it is often regarded as a training ground for politicians. Five of its alumni have served as Prime Minister of Japan. Officially it is not a networking organisation exclusively for aspiring politicians, and many Waseda-educated politicians were never members of the society.
History 1884 – The predecessor organisation "Dōkōkai" (同攻會) was formed amid student activism related to the Ashio Copper Mine mineral poisoning incident. 1902 – The Waseda University Oratorical Society was founded. University founder Shigenobu Ōkuma became its first president (sōsai). Sanae Takata served as adviser and Professor Isoo Abe as chairman. 1923 – The society forced the dissolution of the Waseda University Military Research Group (members including Inejirō Asanuma, Takeshi Tokano and Ryūichi Inamura were active in the campaign). 1929 – The society ceased to exist after the position of chairman fell vacant.Waseda University Centennial History – Chronology, Shōwa 1–9 1945 – A Student Oratorical Society and a Debate Club were formed.Waseda University Centennial History – Chronology, Shōwa 20–29 1946 – The Student Oratorical Society and the Debate Club merged and the Waseda University Oratorical Society was re-established.
Achievements 1956 – Alumni member Tanzan Ishibashi became Prime Minister of Japan. 1987 – Alumni member Noboru Takeshita became Prime Minister of Japan. 1989 – Alumni member Toshiki Kaifu became Prime Minister of Japan. 1998 – Alumni member Keizō Obuchi became Prime Minister of Japan. 2000 – Alumni member Yoshirō Mori became Prime Minister of Japan.
Notable alumni Former Prime Ministers Tanzan Ishibashi (55th Prime Minister) Noboru Takeshita (74th Prime Minister)During Takeshita's student years the Oratorical Society was inactive, so he was never formally a member. He is nonetheless regarded as an alumnus on the grounds that he "would certainly have joined had the society existed." Toshiki Kaifu (76th and 77th Prime Minister; also a member of the Chuo University Jitatsu Gakkai) Keizō Obuchi (84th Prime Minister) Yoshirō Mori (85th and 86th Prime Minister)
Politicians and former Diet members active before or after the war Naoe Kinoshita (activist on the Ashio Copper Mine issue and socialist) Bukichi Miki (former member of the House of Representatives) Ikuo Ōyama (former member of the House of Representatives; former chairman of the Oratorical Society) Kōzō Makiyama (former member of the House of Representatives) Kenzō Matsumura (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry) Jōichi Yamamichi (former member of the House of Representatives) Toyokichi Tabuchi (former member of the House of Representatives) Masahira Hisa (former member of the House of Representatives) Akira Kazami (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Justice) Junzō Sasamori (former member of the House of Representatives; former president of Aoyama Gakuin) Hyōgorō Sakurai (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of State) Tane’o Miyazawa (former member of the House of Representatives) Hiroshi Awayama (former member of the House of Representatives) Riichi Yamamori (former member of the House of Representatives; former mayor of Kureha Town) Jintarō Taketani (former member of the House of Representatives; former speaker of the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly) Shinji Tagaya (former Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives; former Secretary-General of the Japan Socialist Party) Naomichi Inada (former member of the House of Representatives) Mosaburō Suzuki (former member of the House of Representatives) Takejirō Nishioka (former member of the House of Representatives; former Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture) Kyōhei Horikawa (former member of the House of Representatives) Kunio Morishita (former member of the House of Representatives) Sannojō Nakamura (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Transport) Enzaburō Takahashi (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry) Haruji Tahara (former member of the House of Representatives) Isamu Murakami (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Posts and Telecommunications) Ryūichi Inamura (former member of the House of Representatives) Seion Kawamata (former member of the House of Representatives) Takeo Noda (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Home Affairs) Rikizō Hirano (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry) Tokuya Furihata (former member of the House of Representatives) Takao Nishida (former member of the House of Representatives) Takashi Naitō (former member of the House of Representatives) Ryōto Inatomi (former member of the House of Representatives) Inejirō Asanuma (former member of the House of Representatives; former Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party) Seigō Nakano (former member of the House of Representatives; journalist) Ryūtarō Nagai (former Minister of Communications) Yasujirō Tsutsumi (former Speaker of the House of Representatives; businessman) Takashi Fukaya (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of International Trade and Industry) Taketora Ogata (former member of the House of Representatives; former Deputy Prime Minister) Hiroshi Mitsuzuka (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Finance) Tokuichirō Tamazawa (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) Takao Fujinami (former member of the House of Representatives; former Chief Cabinet Secretary) Hirohide Ishida (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Transport) Mitsuru Matsunaga (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Finance) Kenzō Matsumura (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Education) Tomisaburō Hashimoto (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Transport) Kanjirō Satō (former member of the House of Representatives) Kanju Satō (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Home Affairs) Takao Saitō (former member of the House of Representatives; former President of the Administrative Management Agency) Shizuma Kojima (former member of the House of Councillors) Tadashi Senda (former member of the House of Councillors; former Governor of Iwate Prefecture) Shōichi Miyake (former Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives) Fukujirō Kikuchi (former member of the House of Representatives) Kōichi Nakamura (former Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives) Sanji Mutō (former member of the House of Representatives; former Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party Diet Members’ Caucus) Masamichi Takatsu (former Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives) Sōichirō Kita (former Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee) Seizen Kanai (former member of the House of Councillors; former Deputy Policy Research Council Chairman of the New Conservative Party) Mikio Aoki (former member of the House of Councillors; former Chief Cabinet Secretary) Takeo Nishioka (former President of the House of Councillors) Kōzō Watanabe (former Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives) Osamu Yoshida (former member of the House of Representatives) Toshiaki Koizumi (former member of the House of Representatives) Yoshinobu Achiwa (former member of the House of Representatives) Ryōji Yamada (former member of the House of Representatives) Hiroyuki Arai (former member of the House of Councillors; former Special Advisor to the Cabinet) Yūji Yamamoto (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) Jun Azumi (former member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Finance) Jin Matsubara (former member of the House of Representatives) Hiroshi Kawauchi (former member of the House of Representatives) Hideo Tezuka (former member of the House of Representatives) Gen Yatagawa (former member of the House of Representatives)
Current members of the House of Representatives (Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of times elected to the House of Representatives.) Fukushirō Nukaga (79th and 80th Speaker of the House of Representatives; LDP member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Finance; 14 terms) Takeshi Iwaya (LDP member of the House of Representatives; Minister for Foreign Affairs; Minister of Defence; 12 terms) Hakubun Shimomura (LDP member of the House of Representatives; Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; 10 terms) Atsushi Ōshima (Centrist Reform Alliance member of the House of Representatives; former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications; 10 terms) Isshū Sugawara (LDP member of the House of Representatives; former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; 7 terms) Kōnosuke Kokuba (LDP member of the House of Representatives; Chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee; former Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; 6 terms) Hidetoshi Ueda (LDP member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Secretary for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; 3 terms) Kōichi Nakagawa (LDP member of the House of Representatives; 1 term) Kōichirō Osada (LDP member of the House of Representatives; 1 term)
Current members of the House of Councillors (Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of times elected to the House of Councillors.) Takumi Shibata (Nippon Ishin no Kai member of the House of Councillors; 3 terms) Hajime Hirota (Independent member of the House of Councillors; former member of the House of Representatives; former Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defence; 4 terms)
Governors and local assembly members Yūji Kuroiwa (Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture; former television presenter) Yōichi Mizutani (Mayor of Abashiri, Hokkaido) Shinkai Yoshida (Mayor of Honjō, Saitama Prefecture) Yūto Yoshida (Mayor of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture) Jun’ichirō Saitō (Mayor of Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture) Yoshitaka Asai (Mayor of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture)
Others Hisayuki Miyake (political commentator) Genta Itō (NHK announcer) Takayuki Kasuya (Director of the News Division, Nippon Television Network) Kōji Kawamura (TV Asahi commentator) Muneo Funada (former Chief Commentator, Fuji Television) Osamu Sorimachi (Chief Commentator, Fuji Television News Bureau; editor-in-chief of BS Fuji LIVE Prime News) Akira Arai (former President of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun) Yasuhirō Tase (political journalist) Yoshimasa Miyazaki (political commentator) Masato Ushio (military affairs commentator) Norio Okazawa (political scientist) Kazuo Kawasaki (criminal law scholar) Shirō Ozaki (novelist) Kōji Toyoda (novelist) Takayuki Kamikura (entrepreneur; Representative Director and President of Imagineer Co., Ltd.) Jun’ichi Ushiyama (documentary filmmaker, known for works such as The Wonderful World of Travel) Yasunobu Fujiwara (former Waseda University professor; political scientist) Takehiko Yamamoto (Waseda University professor; current chairman of the society) Yōichi Kayashima (cram-school instructor; plaintiff in the Denshūkan trial) Kiyoshi Yamada (President of Tokai University) Hideo Matsue (Deloitte Tohmatsu Group)
Related books Jitsuryoku seijika o haigyō suru "Sōdai Yūbenkai" no kenkyū (A Study of the Waseda Oratorical Society that Produces Capable Politicians) by Eiji Ōshita, PHP Institute, 1988. ISBN 978-4569221328