Scandals Casting University of Tokyo Far From Hope; Kyoto University Gets Green Light

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has officially announced that Kyoto University will be included in the "International Excellence Research Universities" program, which aims to achieve world-class research capacity and will be intensively supported by the state. This decision brings a balance between Tokyo and Kyoto universities, which are considered the highest-level representatives of the academic world in the country. While Kyoto University is expected to gain this status, the University of Tokyo achieving a similar success seems impossible for now.

The most fundamental reason for the University of Tokyo's exclusion from this flagship program is the successive scandals and irregularities that have deeply shaken the institution's reputation recently. Ministry officials and government officials emphasize that compliance and adherence to laws are of critical importance in a program where such large amounts of public funds will be used. In his statement, MEXT Minister Masahito Moriyama highlighted the responsibility brought by intense funding and drew attention to the necessity of transparency and audit mechanisms. This situation is evaluated as a result of the deficiencies in the University of Tokyo's management structure and perceived risks.

When the "Excellence Universities" status was first created, the University of Tokyo was seen as the luckiest and strongest candidate among the applicants. However, particularly the bribery and corruption incidents in the medical school caused the university to lose this status. As a result of inspections held last December, the ministry's board of experts had decided on a "process extension" of up to one year for the University of Tokyo. In February, however, the arrest of a professor working in the university's medical department on bribery charges led the minister to voice the possibility of terminating the review entirely.

The University of Tokyo administration launched a comprehensive emergency action plan by announcing a reform package in April to reverse this negative trend and regain lost trust. The reform plan includes bringing risk management across the university under a single roof and appointing a top-level risk manager. Although University President Teruo Fujii demonstrated a will for change by stating that the arrangements would be implemented with "irreversible determination," it is clear that they are at the beginning of the road to fully restore public confidence. The current picture indicates that restoring the institution's reputation will take time.

While these developments have caused great shock and disappointment in the Japanese academic community, a historical detail stands out regarding Kyoto University's success. Kyoto University, particularly within the scope of the reform, showed the courage to abandon the traditional "Chair System" (kōzasei) continuing since the Meiji period and transitioned to a modern management structure. This fundamental change and modernization step is considered the most critical factor facilitating the university's acquisition of the "Excellence University" status. The University of Tokyo, on the other hand, even if it attempts to enter a similar renewal process, will have to struggle much harder and longer to reach this status under the shadow of the scandals experienced.