Honoring the Japanese sports journalism pioneer

On March 27, the unveiling ceremony for the Takeo Ohkubo J-School Project Room was held in Building 3, home to Waseda University’s Faculty of Political Science and Economics. The ceremony was attended by students and faculty, sports journalism instructors, and University President Kamata.

Takeo Ohkubo, whom the project room is named after, was a pioneer in sports journalism in Japan. Born in Tokyo in 1943, he graduated from Waseda University’s Political Science and Economics I in 1967 and became a journalist at the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). During his time at NHK, Ohkubo negotiated broadcasting rights for major sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup and served as the head delegate for NHK at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. After his retirement, he was appointed representative director of NHK Promotion and made significant impact on the advancement of journalism in Japan.

A year after his passing in 2005, Waseda University received a generous donation in conformity with Ohkubo’s last wishes and established the Takeo Ohkubo Sports Journalism Fund. Using this fund, courses related to sports journalism were started in April 2007, opening doors for students seeking a career in journalism.

Left: Miyoko Ohkubo, wife of Takeo Ohkubo

In April 2018, a part of the fund was transferred to the Faculty of Political Science and Economics upon approval from Miyoko Ohkubo, wife and fellow classmate of Takeo Ohkubo, as a way to mark the 10-year anniversary of the sports journalism courses and to embody Ohkubo’s will. On this occasion, the J-School project room became named after him, and a plaque was presented at the unveiling ceremony. Ohkubo’s legacy will be passed down to aspiring journalism students studying in Building 3, where Takeo and Miyoko Ohkubo once spent their student life together.