The team recorded the highest score among Japanese universities in the category of Negotiation in English Language and will represent Japan in the world competition next year

The 20th Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition was held online over two days on November 6 and 7. This was an intercollegiate competition in which participants engage in mock arbitration/negotiations in either Japanese or English.

A total of 226 participants from 19 Japanese universities and other members from Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan competed in front of a panel of judges consisting of over 120 practitioners and researchers from Japan and abroad.

From Sophia University, a team of 18 students from the Faculty of Law participated, placing 4th out of 24 teams in the overall competition, surpassing last year’s 5th place (the winner was the National University of Singapore, 2nd place was Team Australia, and 3rd place was the University of Tokyo).

The team also received the highest score among Japanese universities in the category of Negotiation in English language and has been selected to represent Japan in the International Negotiation Competition to be held in 2022. This will be the first time for our team to represent Japan in this global competition.

Mariko Ishikawa, a fourth-year law student from Sophia University, said “I am sure that among the many skills required in this competition, skills in communication are particularly important. Our team had a large number of third-year students, although many of us were participating in the competition for the first time, we were able to make steady progress at a time of preparation by examining various arguments and seeking efficient ways to proceed through member’s good collaboration. On the day of the event, in the interaction with the arbitrators and negotiators, we practiced how to persuasively convey our arguments to the other party and negotiated to reach a better consensus. I believe our achievement was excellent, to be ranked in 4th place. In addition, I am very happy that the English team received the highest score in the negotiation as a result of enhanced communication overcoming the language barrier. In the future I would like to make a good use of those skills I acquired through this competition.”

Professor Tetsuo Morishita, the team’s supervisor, said “I believe this is the result of all the students working together, sharing ideas, having constructive dialogues, and repeated practices. I hope that the students will be proud of what they have accomplished and will further refine what they have learned through the competition.”