University of Tokyo urged to review president selection process

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has requested the University of Tokyo to review the selection process for its next president following concerns regarding transparency and accountability.

Yuko Fujigaki, a professor at the university's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was elected to succeed Teruo Fujii in April 2027. However, Fujigaki placed second in an opinion vote among teaching and university staff, receiving approximately half the votes of the top candidate.

While the university previously stated that Fujigaki received support from the largest number of members on the president screening and inspection committee, Education Minister Yoshihiro Seki criticized the university's response as a “superficial explanation.” The ministry has urged the institution to disclose the objective facts and evaluations that led to the decision to address doubts raised by both internal and external stakeholders.