17 May 00
There was standing room only in the public gallery of the Kumamoto District
Court for the third brief hearing of the petition for an injunction filed by
the PUK foreign teachers, Cynthia Worthington and Sandra Mitchell. The fact
that almost forty non-participants gathered at the Kumamoto Court is an
indication of the interest this case continues to arouse in Kumamoto.
The judge indicated that he would probably have sufficient evidence to reach
a decision on the injunction petition once the respondants
(University/Prefecture) had replied to the latest documents filed by the
teachers' lawyers, Commentators anticipate that a decision can be
expected before the end of June.

26 May 00
This morning a delegation from the PUK Foreign Teachers' Support Group
delivered an appeal for the Governor of Kumamoto, Yoshiko Shiotani on behalf
of the two foreign teachers who have been terminated by the PUK. Many of
those who signed the appeal were among the sponsors of a similar appeal
begun in 1998. An accompanying letter to the Governor signed by the
spokesperson for the signatories, Prof. Masazumi Harada, asked the Governor
to meet with representatives of the support group in the near future.
The head of the Governor”Ēs office received the appeal and listened
to an explanation given by Mr. Higashi, one of the lawyers acting for
theterminated teachers.
Later in the day, the University and the Prefecture replied to two
submissions delivered by the KGU on Feb. 7 and May 19. The union's
requests for collective bargaining were refused. The employers agreed only
to "give an explanation" of the situation at the university after the
death of Professor David Tomlinson on May 1, 2000.
(The university has been searching for part-time teachers to cover Professor
Tomlinson's classes, even though Sandra Mitchell and Cynthia Worthington are
willing to resume their posts at the PUK.)