He added that the Japanese government was unable to prevent the speech,
for freedom of speech considerations, and that such a ban could even have
the opposite effect of contributing to Koshimizu's media exposure.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in response, "Although the venue of the
talk seems to be a room inside the building administrated by the Consortium
of Universities in Kyoto, the Consortium itself seems to have nothing to do
with the event, except lending that room.
"And anyway, according to Japanese laws, non-profit foundations such as the
Consortium of the Universities in Kyoto are totally independent bodies from
the Japanese Government, even though their establishment should be approved
by the Governmental ministries concerned."
