日本語History of US-Japan Debate Exchange since 1967
Hawaii Exchange #1 (1967)
A team from the University of Hawaii toured Japan. The arrangements for this visit were made by Father John Nissel of Sophia University. Many squads who had participated in the First SIDT (Sophia University Invitational Debating Tournament: 1966) were involved. The chairperson of the speech department was Richard Rider and the director of forensics was Donald Williams (deceased), who authored “Debating in Japan,” Pacific Speech, 1. 61-63.
Hawaii Exchange #2 (March 1968)
Coach: Father John Nissel, Sophia University (deceased)
Debaters: Yasushi Sato and Shizunobu Yokose, both from Meiji Gakuin University.
Reports: These students were the winners of the Second SIDT. A picture appeared in The Japan Times, Nov. 28, 1967. Details of this visit are described in an article written by the debate director of the University of Hawaii. Dean S. Ellis, “Debate in Japan,” J. Am. Forensics Assn., V, 95-99 (Fall, 1968). This article was written to assist mainland squads who were preparing to host the First Tour.
Hawaii Exchange #3 (April & May 1968)
Coach: Dr. Dean S. Ellis
Debaters: Craig Quick and Sylvia Kiosterud, all from the University of Hawaii.
First Tour (to mainland) 1969
Debaters: Masahiro Hosoya (now at Doshisha University) and Yuji Endo, both selected from the Sophia University ESS by Fr. John Nissel. The winners of the Third SIDT (1968) were supposed to go on this tour, but the campus lockout prevented this tournament from taking place.
After this tour, the University of Hawaii negotiated a separate arrangement with Waseda University and Keio University under which Hawaii debaters and a coach came for practice matches in Tokyo almost every year. This program was discontinued in 19xx after the Hawaii teams failed to win any judged matches between Hawaii debaters and debaters from four (?) Japanese universities.
Second Tour (to mainland) 1975
Debaters: Hideko Gondo, Sophia University, and Noriko Murata, Tokyo Women’s Christian University (club name: Queen’s Garden Society=QGS). These students were finalists in the Ninth SIDT, held in 1974.
The invitation to re-start these debates came from the Committee on International Discussion and Debate of the then SCA in New York. The invitation came from Fr. Nissel through Fr. Robert Forbes to then not-yet-Fr. Howell. Northwest Airlines kindly provided significant discounts on the trans-Pacific fares for the Japanese students.
Third Tour (first from mainland), autumn 1976
Participants selected by SCA/CIDD; they judged the Eleventh SIDT.
Coach: Dr. Thomas Kane, University of Pittsburgh
Debaters: John Davidson, University of Illinois, and Sam Wida, California State University at Fullerton. Their reports appeared in Spectra February 1977, and in Speaker and Gavel, pp. 2-8 (1977); Wida also prepared a seven-page typed report for use in Japan.
Fr. Forbes raised the funding for this tour without leaving his room. Much of the money came from Encyclopedia Britannica, Japan, through the generous efforts of Mrs. Hoshino. For these and later tours, the language school managed by M. Iwashita also contributed many uncharged services.
Fourth Tour, February and March 1978
Debaters: Shigeru Matsumoto*, Aoyama Gakuin University, and Tetsuro Toyota, Sophia University; they were selected by Howell*, Holeman, Iwashita*, and others. Later this year JEFA (Japan English Forensics Association) is inaugurated and from now on some members of its Board of Directors are involved in the selectin of participants of tours to the mainland. JDA (Japan Debate Association) takes over this task from the thirteenth tour.
Fifth Tour, May and June 1978
Coach: Dr. Ronald Matlon, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Debaters: Dan Bessesen, Dartmouth College, and Robert Meadow, University of Southern Colorado. A report appeared in Spectra, February 1979, and there were reports in Forensics Journal III, a publication of JEFA.
Sixth Tour, February and March 1980
Debaters: Sachiko Kawanishi, Sophia University (now a professor at Sophia University Junior College Division), and Keiko Takahashi, Aoyama Gakuin University. Their report appeared in Forensics Journal IV.
Seventh Tour, May and June 1980
Coach: Dr. Michal Hazen, Wake Forest University
Debaters: Patricia Gorham, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Steven Jensen, University of Southern Colorado. This was the first gender-mixed team from the U.S. Their report appeared in Forensics Journal V.
Eighth Tour February and March 1982
Debaters: Kazuo Matsuyama, Aoyama Gakuin University, and Akio Naito, Sophia University. Their report and suggestions appeared in Forensics Journal VI.
Ninth Tour, May and June 1982
Coach: Dr. Thomas Goodnight*, Northwestern University
Debaters: Mary Nadworny, University of Pittsburgh, and David Cotton, Loyola-Marymount University (Los Angeles). After this tour the two sponsoring groups, JEFA and SCA-CIDD, decided not to have two tours in the same calendar year.
Tenth Tour, May and June 1983
Coach: Dr. Scott Nobles, Macalester College
Debaters: Melanie Gardner, Samford University, and Jim O’Brien, Macalester College. Their reports appeared in Forensics Journal VI.
Eleventh Tour 1984
Debaters: Yoshiyuki Takemura, Kansai University, and Akihiko Ueno, Doshisha University. This was the first team to include debaters from outside the Kanto region of Japan.
Twelfth Tour 1985
Coach: Dr. Larry Richardson, Western Washington University
Debaters: Lenny Gail, Dartmouth College, and Zach Grant, University of Kansas
Thirteenth Tour 1986
Debaters: Koichi Takei, Kitakyushu University, and Satoru Aonuma*, Dokkyo University.
This was the first team chosen by JDA. This is also the year that Mr. Claude Holeman left Japan. Since he was the editor of the JEFA Newsletters and the Forensics Journal, these materials stopped appearing. The judges’ list went out of date rapidly. The script library and some old files are in Howell’s possession. Somewhere there is some JEFA money, but not very much.
Fourteenth Tour 1987
Coach: Dr. Tim Hynes, University of Louisville
Debaters: Katherine Palczewski*, Northwestern University, and Julie Arthur, Northwestern University. The former is the coach for the 1999 tour.
Fifteenth Tour 1988
Debaters: Akira Ikeya, Waseda University (English Speaking Association), and Yuzuru Yamashita, Dokkyo University.
Sixteenth Tour 1989
Coach: Dr. Pat Ganer, Cypress College
Debaters: Gordon Mitchell*, Northwestern University, and Julie Spellman, Clairmont College
Seventeenth Tour 1990
Debaters: Hideaki Kitabayashi, Dokkyo University, and Hiroharu Nakamura, Sophia University.
Eighteenth Tour 1991
Coach: Dr. George Ziegelmueller*, Wayne State University
Debaters: Mark Levenson, Northwestern University, and Scott Thomson, Wayne State University.
Nineteenth Tour 1992
Debaters: Yoshiro Yano*, University of Tokyo, and Hiroshi Oura, Nagoya University. This is the first team to include debaters from national universities.
Twentieth Tour 1993
Coach: Dr. Dale Herbeck, Boston College
Debaters: Anand Rao, University of Pittsburgh, and Ilon Lauer, Wayne State University
Twenty-first Tour 1994
Debaters: Mitsuhiro Kurano, Dokkyo University, and Reiji Yamanaka, Hitotsubashi University (the club name is IS = International Society).
Twenty-second Tour 1995
Coach: Dr. Al Louden, Wake Forest University
Debaters: Brian Lain*, Wayne State University, and Ann Marie O’Halloren, Cornell University. The former is the coach of the thirty-seventh tour in 2012.
Twenty-third Tour 1996
Debaters: Junya Morooka*, Dokkyo University, and Takeshi Yamamura, University of Tokyo.
Twenty-fourth Tour 1997
Coach: Dr. Tom Hollihan*, University of Southern California
Debaters: Kate Schuster, Emory University (winner of 1996 NDT), and Scott Ruthfield, Rice University.
Twenty-fifth Tour 1998
Debaters: Yoshiko Hayashida, Keio Gijuku University, and Yuka Ogasawara, University of Tokyo.
Twenty-sixth Tour 1999
Coach: Dr. Cate Palczewski*, University of Northern Iowa (she was a debater on the 1987 tour)
Debaters: Maxwell Schnurer, University of Pittsburgh, and Eric Minkove, James Madison University
Twenty-seventh Tour 2000
Debaters: Tsuyoshi Yamazaki, University of Tokyo, and Masako Suzuki*, Keio Gijuku University. This is the first gender-mixed team from Japan.
Twenty-eighth Tour 2001
Coach: Dr. Barb Pickering, James Madison University
Debaters: Anne Marie Todd*, University of Southern California (Ph.D. candidate, co-champion of CEDA 1998), and Andy Peterson, University of Iowa (winner of 2001 NDT)
Only two Japanese debaters applied for the U.S. tour scheduled for the spring of 2002. When one had to withdraw because of academic obligations imposed by his graduate program, this tour was cancelled.
Twenty-ninth Tour 2003
Coach: Dr. Matt Sobnosky, Hofstra University, and Dr. Marilyn Young, Florida State University
Debaters: Michelle Lancaster, James Madison University, and James Radford, Jr., Samford University.
Thirtieth Tour 2004
Debaters: Katsuya Koresawa*, Dokkyo University, and Yoshikuni Sato, Osaka University
Thirty-first Tour 2005
Coach: Dr. Kevin Baaske*, California State University at Los Angeles
Debaters: Leah Sprain, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington, and Carly Woods*, University of Mary Washington and University of Pittsburgh
Thirty-second Tour 2006
Debaters: Noriaki Tajima*, Dokkyo University, and Kaori Yamada, Dokkyo University
Thirty-third Tour 2007
Coach: Dr. Michael Janas, Samford University
Debaters: James Thomas, Cornell University (graduate of University of West Georgia), and Nicholas Miller, Emory University
Thirty-fourth Tour 2008
Debaters: Akira Murakami, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (graduate of Sophia University), and Tomonori Tasaki, Kitakyuushu (City) University.
Thirty-fifth Tour 2009
Coach: Dr. Stephen Llano, St. John’s University (New York)
Debaters: Tony Liao, Cornell University, and Christopher Girouard, Truman State University
Thirty-sixth Tour 2011
Debaters: Yoshiki Shimamoto, Waseda University graduate student (Waseda English Study Association), and Takahito Oosako (University of Tokyo). Both debaters are active in NAFA: National Association of Forensics and Argumentation
Thirty-seventh Tour 2012
Coach: Dr. Brian Lain*, University of North Texas; he was a debater on the 22nd Tour
Debaters: Sean Leuchtefeld, University of Mary land, and Edmund Zagorin, University of Michigan
Thirty-eighth Tour 2013
Coach: Dr. Anne Marie Todd*, San Jose State University; she was a debater on the 28th Tour
Debaters: Timothy Barr, University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. candidate), and Shanna Schultz, Texas State University
Thirty-ninth Tour 2014
Debaters: Naoki Takami, Waseda University, and Amane Hirota, Hokkaido University
Fortieth Tour 2015
Coach: Dr. Theodore Sheckels, Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia
Debaters: Natalie Bennie, Samford University, and Cody Walizer, University of Denver
