Japanese universities see record-high graduate employment rates

A survey of 11 universities in the Kyoto and Shiga regions, including Kyoto University, Doshisha University and Ritsumeikan University, shows the graduate employment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point to a new historic high, maintaining a 90%‑plus level for the second consecutive year. The increase reflects a continued seller’s market for new graduates amid demographic decline and labor shortages.

A separate nationwide ranking of universities based on hiring by 400 well‑known companies placed Hitotsubashi University third, Keio University fourth and Waseda University ninth, with employment rates ranging from 40.0% to 54.7% across the top ten. The ranking, compiled from responses of 552 universities, highlights which institutions are most successful at placing graduates into prestigious firms.