The breakdown with the art university

While working on TV animation, independent productions, and participating in anti-government demonstrations, Harada was also introduced to a job as a lecturer at an art university by an acquaintance. (Since 2007)

However, once inside, various realities that cannot be seen from the outside became apparent.

What Harada found most serious was that even when the Fukushima nuclear power plant exploded in 2011 and radioactive materials were scattered in the air, the university's professors never mentioned it.Furthermore, when Harada called on students to "go vote" during class, the professor stopped him, saying "Don't say things like that"

The Liberal Democratic Party government began taking control of and tampering with universities mainly from 2001 onwards.

Life and politics are supposed to be closely related, yet full-time faculty members at a university that prides itself on fair education and research all kept quiet about domestic politics.
When Harada asked several full-time faculty members directly why they did so, they all answered, "Because we don't want to get fired."
When the Abe administration began to exert even more control over universities in 2012, the university upper echelons blindly followed suit.
Many universities were corporatized year by year, and as instructed by the government, successful business people from large companies were invited to teach at universities one after another, and classes were also changed to one that aimed to achieve economic success.

It is impossible for students not to be influenced by this attitude of adults.

Originally, Harada was against teachers judging and scoring art, and ranking students' abilities.
Art cannot be evaluated by a score like a test score. Every work reflects the personality and life of the artist.
However, in Japan today, students are taught that their only option after graduating is to get a job at a company.
Because art school grades are directly linked to the hiring standards, students compete with others and even suppress their own opinions in order to get good grades.
Private universities also charge exorbitant tuition fees of over 3 million yen.
The government abolished the traditional grant-based scholarship system and replaced it with a debt-based scholarship system that could be considered a student loan. When the deadline comes, students must repay a large amount of tuition. If the student cannot repay, the guarantor's parents are billed. This has led to some suicides.
Therefore, students have no choice but to continue working under the management of a company after graduation.

Harada spoke out about university issues and politics at a conference in April 2018.

"If another earthquake and tsunami were to occur with the fuel exposed after the nuclear accident, it would be a catastrophe.
While we are doing this, intense airstrikes are continuing in the Middle East.
While we are doing this, many people are being killed.
Are we going to ignore these things?
Last time, when I said, "Right now, one-quarter of students are thinking about suicide," you all laughed, but it's true. I've heard about it directly from students.
I was subjected to severe bullying and violence when I was in elementary school. But all the teachers at school turned a blind eye and no one tried to help me.”

Immediately after this meeting, Harada was removed from the graduation project evaluation committee, which he had been in charge of until then.

Harada left the art university in 2022.

At that time, Harada felt a wind of freedom blowing outside the university.

In Japan, young people are taught that it is natural to go to college after high school.
However, Harada argues that there is no need to pay high tuition fees and go into massive debt to go to college.
He also insists on the necessity, importance, and effectiveness of “self-study.