Customer Interview] Dr. Haruo Nishihara, 94, 12th President of Waseda University: "Life can be compared to the Hakone Ekiden. What is the way of life in the era of 120 years of life?

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This time, we are talking with Dr. Haruo Nishihara, the 12th president of Waseda University. We interviewed him about the secret of his vitality in his 94th year of life and his thoughts on the 120-year life era.

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Three Reasons Dr. Nishihara Remains Healthy

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Well, doctor, I would like to start the interview immediately. Thank you very much for your time today.

At 94 years of age, he is energetically continuing his peace activities to prevent the repetition of war, working with such people as writer and religious leader Jakucho Setouchi, mountaineer Yuichiro Miura, tea ceremony master Sen Genshitsu, and Ito Masatoshi, founder of Ito-Yokado and 7-Eleven, but this requires an extraordinary will. What is your daily mindset in your activities? How do you feel about your daily activities?

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Dr. Nishihara.

How is your teacher so energetic? I am often asked. I would like to raise three things that I am thinking about.

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The first is that the human body is composed of cells, right? Therefore, the more healthy the cells are, the more healthy the body is. I believe that brain cells are particularly important. Brain cells give orders to other cells, and various organs move. We need to activate brain cells. To do this, we must use our brains at all times.

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In other words, I have to think about things. How to do it, how to do it, I have been thinking about this for a long time. It started when I was captain of the swim team in junior high school and later became its director.

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Especially after the 1965's, when I was appointed as the chief academic officer in charge of law students, dean of the School of Law, and president of Waseda University during the heyday of university professors, I got into the habit of thinking about what to do and how to do it from morning to night, day after day.

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That is why, even now when I am sitting at home for Corona, I am thinking all morning and all night about what to do next in Japan-China relations. In other words, I am working my head off. I think this is one of the reasons for my energy.

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And next, the body must have strong legs and feet. This requires sports, and I have been a swimmer since junior high school. So I swam back and forth in the pool with no problem until I was 85. Then I skied all the way up to the age of 80. These sports require physical exertion as they strengthen your legs and back.

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Third, I'm thinking that this would mean, for example, if there is an external means of activating the cells, we would take advantage of that.

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I happened to attend a meeting of Waseda University alumni in Korea when I was president of Waseda University, and I received ginseng as a gift. I received a lot of ginseng, and after taking it, I felt very well and was able to continue my work as President of Waseda University.

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The next time I went there, I told him about it and he gave me twice as much again. So I have been taking ginseng for a whopping 35 years. I think that may be one of the reasons for the cellular activation.

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You have been drinking for 35 years?

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Dr. Nishihara.

I HAVE BEEN TAKING IT LITTLE BY LITTLE. IN THE MEANTIME, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, I BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH PRESIDENT ABE, WHO GAVE ME NMN SIRTUIN, WHICH I TAKE EVERY MORNING WHEN I AM HUNGRY.

I feel fine, don't I? Look at the firmness of my facial skin...not the firmness of a 94-year-old, right?

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HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE GETTING WRINKLES WHILE TAKING NMN SIRTUIN?

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Dr. Nishihara.

I feel like my body is boiling. I feel that I am not sinking.

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Do you feel like you're on the upswing and not sinking?

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Dr. Nishihara.

That's right. For example, my voice would be different. Isn't my voice coming out from the bottom of my stomach? This would not be possible if my body were weak. That is why I feel like I am boiling.

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The 120-year life theory. What it takes to live longer

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You have the idea of a 120-year life span. Can you tell us more about your goal of a 120-year life span?

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Dr. Nishihara.

I don't know what will happen, but I would like to live as long as I can, and it would be meaningless to live a long life by causing trouble for others. I would like to live as long as possible in a way that I can stand on my own and, if possible, help others and contribute to the world. In order to do that, I need to be healthy.

BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL, ENERGY AND HORSEPOWER. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THOSE THINGS. HEALTH IS THE FOUNDATION, ISN'T IT? THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE THAT THE NMN SUPPLEMENT DEVELOPED BY PRESIDENT ABE WILL BE VERY MEANINGFUL IN THE FUTURE.

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Life is a "Hakone Ekiden". What is the way of life running on the way to and from

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The current situation is that the average gap between healthy life expectancy and life expectancy is about 10 years for Japanese people, but I hope to create a society where the elderly do not become frail and can continue to demonstrate their value by filling this gap.

You have your own theory, and you say that "life can be compared to the Hakone Ekiden (relay race).

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Dr. Nishihara.

A few years ago, the Japanese government began to advocate the "100 years of life" theory. Although it had never been said before, I think it makes sense to tell people to think about planning their lives based on the assumption that they will live to be 100 years old. I think it makes sense, but when you say 100 years of age, there is naturally a division between before and after retirement.

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Then the distinction is made in the real world that before retirement you are active and after retirement you are retired. So we are trying to live 100 years in the workforce, and that is how it is done.

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However, I believe that distinction does not match reality, and I have a slightly different idea. The one that came to mind is the Hakone Ekiden. In the Hakone Ekiden, the outward and inward races are completely equal. There is no difference between active and retired runners, both are active runners. However, the way of running is different between the outward and the return races.

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In particular, mountain climbing and descending should not be run in the same way. Climbing has its own way of running, and descending has its own way of running.

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Then, the results of the 5 sections of the climb become the outward results, and the combined results of the outward and return sections become the overall competition. I think this way of thinking fits life.

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Just 60 years of age 60 is the goal of the outward journey of the Hakone Mountains. Life is an ascent until the age of 60, and a descent after 60. There is a way of life in which the descent has its own significance. The way of running is different from the way of climbing, but it is no less significant. My 60th birthday was the height of my life as the president of Waseda University.

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So the goal of the climb is the Waseda University presidential era.

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Dr. Nishihara.

It was the era of the Waseda University president, so the form of the final ascent of the Hakone Ekiden was that of the Waseda University president. I think it was a running style that was typical of the outward journey. Then, it is not the case that the rest of the race is downhill and you are in hiding.

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Although they don't run the way they used to, there are jobs that only old people can do. Old people should not get in the way of young people. Let the young people do what they have been doing.

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In Chinese society, there is a kind of respect for the elderly. This would mean that there are things that young people in Japan-China relations cannot do, but only old people can do.

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Moreover, as I said at the beginning, there are things that can only be done by people who have accumulated decades of experience and trust. That means that there are things that only older people can do. This is the way to run the return trip.

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I would like to tell everyone that we should not separate the active and the retired. There is a way to run on the return trip. And there are things that can only be done on the return trip. You have to find it and do it. That will lead to a long life, using your head again.

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This comes back to me as well. Thank you for your essential words.

There are many more questions I would like to ask you, but for this interview, I would like to focus on health.

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Thank you very much for your time today, Dr. Nishihara.

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Haruo Nishihara Profile

1928 Born in Tokyo
1949 Entered the First Faculty of Law, Waseda University
1951 Graduated from the First Faculty of Law, Waseda University
1951 Entered the Master's Program of the Graduate School of Law, Waseda University. Appointed as Vice-Professor at Waseda University
1953 Entered Waseda University Graduate School for Doctoral Studies and became Assistant Professor at Waseda University
1956 Completed Graduate School for Doctoral Studies at Waseda University
1959 Full-time Lecturer at Waseda University
1962 Assistant Professor at Waseda University
1967 Professor at Waseda University
1968 Chief Academic Officer for Students, Waseda University School of Law
1972 Dean of Waseda University Law School
1978 Director, Waseda University
1980 Executive Director, Waseda University
1980 President, Japan Association of Private Colleges and Universities
1982 President, Waseda University
1990 Resigned as President, Waseda University
1991 Also Chairman, Council for University Chartering and School Corporation, Ministry of Education
1991 Awarded First Class Distinguished Service Cross by the Federal Republic of Germany
1995 Director of the European Center, Waseda University, Bonn
1995 Honorary award of Bai Yulan from Shanghai City Government, China
1998 President of Kokushikan Educational Corporation
2005 Honorary Advisor of Kokushikan Educational Corporation
2005 Honorary Associate of Waseda University
2005 Founded and became President of Asia Peace Contribution Center, a non-profit organization
2006 Awarded the International Exchange Outstanding Encouragement Scholarship from Wuhan University
2007 Appointed as Special Advisor of Joban University Educational Corporation
2007 Honored with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Grand Cordon
2011 President of Correctional Association
2018 Awarded the Contemporary Law Society Award from the Japanese Association of Political Science and Law

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