The University of Tokyo (東京大学, Tōkyō daigaku; Todai or UTokyo) is a publicresearch university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 by the merger of several pre-westernisation era institutions such as Shoheizaka Institute (founded in 1605) and Kaiseijo, it was the nation's first modern university.[5]
UTokyo consists of 10 faculties, 15 graduate schools, and 11 affiliated research institutes.[6] As of 2023, it has a total of 13,974 undergraduate students and 14,258 graduate students.[6]
The majority of the university's educational and research facilities are concentrated within its three main Tokyo campuses: Hongo, Komaba, and Kashiwa.[7] UTokyo also operates several smaller campuses throughout the Greater Tokyo Area. In addition, the university boasts over 60 facilities and offices spread across the Japanese archipelago and the world, each contributing uniquely to the university's activities. [8][9] UTokyo's total land holdings amount to 326 square kilometres (approximately 80,586 acres, 32,604 hetares, about 0.1 per cent of Japan's total land area).[10]
The University of Tokyo was chartered in 1877 under its current name (東京大學 Tokyo daigaku), by the Meiji government. It was founded as an amalgamation of older government schools for medicine, astronomy, and various other traditional and modern learning disciplines. In 1886, the university was renamed Imperial University (帝國大學, Teikoku daigaku), and it adopted the name Tokyo Imperial University (東京帝國大學, Tōkyō teikoku daigaku) in 1897, when another imperial university, namely Kyoto Imperial University, was founded using the war reparations from the First Sino-Japanese War.[19]
A picture taken a few days after the Great Kanto Earthquake
By 1888, all faculties had completed their relocation to the former site of the Tokyo house of the Maeda family in Hongo, where they continue to operate today. Among the few remnants from before this relocation, the most significant is a gate called Akamon (赤門), which has become a widely recognised symbol of the university.
On 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the Kanto Plain, inflicting immense damage upon the university. This damage included the complete destruction of almost all main buildings, including the library, as well as the loss of precious scientific and historical samples and data stored in them.[20][21] This led to a university-wide debate as to whether it should relocate to a larger site, such as Yoyogi, but ultimately, such plans were rejected. Instead, the university purchased additional land in its vicinity, which was still owned by the Maeda family, and expanded there.
The reconstruction of the university and its library was brought up in the fourth general assembly of the League of Nations in September 1923, where it was unanimously decided to provide support. The American philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. personally donated $2 million (approximately $36 million in 2023). The United Kingdom formed a committee led by former Prime Minister Earl Arthur Balfour, and made significant contributions, both financially and culturally. [22] A large portion of the buildings on Hongo Campus today were built during this reconstruction period, and their unique Collegiate Gothic style is known as Uchida Gothic (内田ゴシック) after Yoshikazu Uchida, the architect who designed them.[23]
During the American occupation era following Japan's defeat in World War II, the university dropped the word 'imperial' (帝国) from its name in 1947 and returned to its original name, the University of Tokyo (東京大学). During this period, Japan's education system was reformed to align more with the American system. As a result, UTokyo merged with two Higher Schools, which were university preparatory boy's boarding schools, in 1949, and thus became a four-year university as it is today. It was also during this period that UTokyo first opened its doors to female students.
Although the university first admitted female students in 1946, the student body has remained predominantly male since then. While it is said that the university alone cannot fully address this issue, as it is deep rooted in Japanese society,[24] various attempts have been made to achieve a more equal gender ratio. In 2023, women made up 23 per cent of the freshers, the highest percentage in the university's history. [25] A quarter of graduate students were female in 2022, and the university is working to improve the percentage further both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
As one of Japan's premier educational institutions, it is widely agreed amongst UTokyo's faculty members and students that one of the university's primary roles is to provide comprehensive, high-quality tertiary education in the Japanese language. Shifting the primary language of teaching to English just for the sake of globalisation is believed to undermine the unique values only UTokyo can offer. However, since Japanese is predominantly spoken only in Japan, it is argued that the language barrier deters international students from applying. In fact, international students make up only one-sixth of the total student body. Thus, globalising its campuses is one of the key issues that UTokyo has been eager to address.
At the undergraduate level, there are mainly three routes for those who have not received their secondary education in Japanese to apply to UTokyo. First, individuals with high Japanese proficiency can apply through the special admissions process for students educated overseas (外国学校卒業学生特別選考).[26] Students admitted via this route study alongside their peers who received secondary education in Japanese. International students who apply via this route sometimes spend a year studying the language at preparatory schools before matriculation. Second, there is an undergraduate programme called PEAK (Programs in English at Komaba), which accept applications based on international qualifications such as A-levels, SAT, and the International Baccalaureate. All modules in this programme are taught in English.[27] However, learning Japanese is mandatory, and those confident in their Japanese ability can take modules taught in Japanese in other departments. Third, UTokyo offers various exchange programmes with universities worldwide.[28] There are University-wide Student Exchange Programmes (USTEP) with universities such as Tsinghua University, Princeton University, National University of Singapore and Yale University.[29] The College of Arts and Sciences has its own exchange programmes called KOMSTEP with universities such as University of Paris. [30] The Faculty of Engineering also has its own exchange programmes, whose partner institutions include Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, University of Cambridge, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[31]
UTokyo's Kamiokande project detected cosmic neutrinos for the first time in human history and later proved neutrinos have mass, resulting in Nobel Prizes in 2003 and 2015
When the British magazine Times Higher Education first published its world university rankings in partnership with QS in 2004, UTokyo was ranked 12nd in the world. In the latest 2024 edition of the rankings, it is ranked 29th.[32] QS, now has its own rankings, placed UTokyo at 28th.[33] As these numbers suggest, there is a widely shared concern that the university is falling behind its counterparts in the world, and in the future it may struggle to provide a suitable environment for quality education and world-class research.[34]
UTokyo faces a challenging reality. Japan's long-lasting economic downturn since the 1990s has led to Japanese companies less willing to invest in research and development than before.[35] Additionally, the government's Management Expense Grant (運営費交付金) has been reduced by one per cent annually since 2004.[36] This policy, ostensibly aimed at decreasing the university’s reliance on the grant and fostering greater independence, has been blamed as one of the main reasons for the decline in the university’s competitiveness.[37]
To address these challenges, UTokyo has implemented various reforms. In 2004, UTokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC) was established. This venture capital firm, affiliated with the university, supports entrepreneurship arising from UTokyo’s research and development, aiming to drive innovation across society.[38] In 2006, the first phase of development was completed at Kashiwa Campus. Situated in the suburb of Kashiwa, this research-focused campus spans 405,313 square metres (100 acres) and has been at the forefront of advanced scientific research since its inception.[39] In 2010, in an attempt to further internationalise and diversify its student body, the university increased its autumn enronlemnt opportunities for international students.[40] UTokyo plans to increse the proportion of female faculty members to above a quarter by newly creating positions for 300 female lecturers by 2027.[41]
A successful applicant rejoicing on the results day
UTokyo's entrance exam is regarded as the most selective in Japan. To apply, one must achieve high scores in the Common Test for University Admissions (共通テスト) in January, which is a standardised multiple-choice examination. UTokyo applicants are required to take at least seven subjects in this exam. Applicants for natural sciences must take two mathematics tests, Japanese (which includes modern language, classics, and Chinese classics), English (reading and listening comprehension), Sciences (two from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geology), and one Social Study subject (chosen from Geography, Japanese History, or World History). Humanities candidates must take two Social Studies subjects and one Science subject instead.[42]
Based on the scores from the Common Test, approximately three times the number of the final admission slots are invited to take the main exam in late February. For this exam, science candidates are tested in Advanced Mathematics, English, Japanese, and two science subjects. Humanities candidates take Mathematics, English, Advanced Japanese, and two social studies subjects (options are Geography, Japanese History, World History). Some applicants are called upon to take an interview.[43]
Successful candidates are notified on 10 March of the same year and are matriculated in April.
Komaba Campus, where all undergraduates spend a year and a half
All freshers are matriculated at the College of Arts and Sciences at Komaba, a remnant of the time when the Komaba Campus was a separate boarding school, the First Higher School (第一高等学校), until 1949. [44] There, they spend the first one and a half years of their degrees. Students are required to study a foreign language they have never learnt for at least a year, with classes formed based on their choices. Popular languages include Chinese, French, German, Korean, Spanish, and Russian. These classes are meant to be places where students can interact with peers from different backgrounds and forge long-lasting friendships, especially since they spend a considerable amount of time together. There is a tradition where the previous year's class (uekura, 上クラ) invites the juniors to overnight orientation camps (ori gasshuku, オリ合宿) in early April.[45]
Freshers typically have 30-40 contact hours per week, although science students often have longer hours due to a larger number of compulsory modules such as linear algebra, advanced calculus, quantum physics, biology, and practicals.
Komaba is also the hub of most student societies and unions, with facilities including several tennis, football, and baseball courts, and arenas. For societies that don't involve physical activities, there are also four dedicated buildings that can accommodate about 100 societies, a theatre, and a Japanese-style building.
Intense academic competition is common among students in the junior division, as they face matriculation to the senior division (Shingaku Sentaku, 進学選択, or colloquially Shinfuri, 進振り) in September of their second year, where they are assigned to departments based on their grades for the first one and a half years at Komaba.[46] The Department of Information Science, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Department of Sociology are amongst the most selective departments in the Shingaku Sentaku.[47]
After completing the Shingaku Sentaku, second-year students matriculate into senior division departments to specialise in their chosen fields. With the exception of the senior division of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Mathematics, which are located in Komaba, all other senior departments are situated in Hongo. Consequently, approximately 85 per cent of the students start a new chapter of their university life there.[48]
One of the refectories in Hongo, situated underground
The Hongo Campus is located closer to the centre of Tokyo, providing access to more restaurants, cafes, and large museums in the vicinity. In addition to these, the campus itself boasts four refectories, five restaurants, four cafes, five convenience stores, seven kiosks, two bookstores, a barber shop, and an underground gym, making it a comfortable place for students to spend time.[49][50]
Yasuda Auditorium, the venue for graduation ceremonies
While students typically become busier with their studies in the senior division, they are encouraged to take modules from other faculties to develop interdisciplinary perspectives in addition to their major studies.
Students in the sciences often begin participating in research activities towards the beginning of their final year under the guidance of their supervisor and submit their thesis in January. Students in the humanities generally follow a similar path but are part of seminars (zemi, ゼミ) rather than laboratories.
Graduation ceremonies take place towards the end of March. Approximately one-third of the graduates enter the workforce upon graduation, while the remainder continue their studies at graduate schools within UTokyo or at universities abroad.[51]
UTokyo operates under a central administration system, with policies often determined by the administrative council led by the president.[52] However, due to the university's history as an amalgamation of various institutions, each of the university's constituent colleges, faculties and institutes has its own administrative board. Today, UTokyo is organised into 10 faculties,[53] 15 graduate schools.[54]
At the centre of UTokyo's research and education efforts are 10 faculties and their affiliated graduate schools. This organisational structure, introduced as a result of reforms in the 1990s, aims to maximise the outcomes of education and research by integrating them across undergraduate and graduate levels, rather than maintaining separate focuses for each.[55]
In addition to the graduate schools affiliated with specific faculties, UTokyo also includes two independent graduate institutions: the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies and the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP).
Apart from the faculties and graduate schools, UTokyo hosts eleven affiliated research institutes. (附置研究所） These institutes serve as research hubs in their respective fields, aiming to widely disseminate their findings for societal benefit. Simultaneously, they function as educational institutions for the graduate schools.[56][57][58]
Institute
Website
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute
（大気海洋研究所）
Advances basic research on oceans and atmosphere, focusing on climate change and evolution of life, and offers graduate education.
Aims at producing 'comprehensive knowledge' in social sciences, conducting joint research and providing an international platform for empirical social science research.
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology
（先端科学技術研究センター）
Engages in interdisciplinary research in various fields such as materials, environment, information, and social sciences, aiming at pioneering new scientific and technological areas.
UTokyo Institutes For Advanced Study (UTIAS)[edit]
UTokyo Institutes For Advanced Study (UTIAS) started in January 2011. Its primary objective is to improve academic excellence and foster an internationalised research environment. There are four UTIAS institutes as of November 2023:[59]
Institute
Website
Tokyo College
Established in February 2019 to collaboratively explore the future of humanity and Earth. Engages in interdisciplinary research on themes such as the digital revolution, Earth's limits, Japan's future, future humanities, and the future of life. It also acts as a host institution for visiting professors, including Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group. [60][61]
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe
Focuses on fundamental questions about the universe, including dark energy, dark matter, and unified theories, with interdisciplinary approaches involving mathematics, physics, and astronomy.
International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN)
Established in October 2017 to create a new field of 'Neurointelligence'. Integrating life sciences, medicine, linguistics, mathematics, and information science, it chiefly aims to further understand human intelligence, and utilise the outcomes to overcome mental illnesses, and develop new types of AI based on brain functioning.
The University of TOkyo Pandemic preparedness, Infection and Advanced research center (UTOPIA)
Established in October 2022, its aim is to equip the society with resilience against future pandemics through fundamental research in infectious diseases, immunity. It takes multi-disciplinary approaches involving immunology, structural biology, AI, and social sciences, and aims to develop systems for quickly providing effective and safe vaccines and treatments in emergencies.
The University of Tokyo Library System consists of three comprehensive libraries located on the main campuses—Hongo, Komaba, and Kashiwa—along with 27 other field-specific libraries operated by various faculties and research institutes.[62] As of 2023, the UTokyo library boasts a collection of over 9.9 million books and numerous materials of historical importance.[63] This extensive collection ranks it as the second-largest library in Japan, surpassed only by the National Diet Library, which holds a collection of approximately 46.8 million books.[64] It also subscribes to about 170,000 journals, contributing to research activities throughout the university.
The headquarters of the library is situated in the General Library at Hongo, which underwent thorough renovation in the late 2010s. It now features a 46-metre-deep automated storage capable of housing approximately 3 million books.[65]
UTokyo operates eight museums, three of which fall under the purview of the University Museum (UMUT) (東京大学総合研究博物館, Tōkyō daigaku sōgō kenkyū hakubutsukan). These museums play a crucial role in sharing significant findings from the university's research activities and showcasing its valuable collections with the public. They are also responsible for the preservation and maintenance of these collections.
The largest university museum in Japan, it has amassed over three million academic materials since 1877. It has hosted numerous planned exhibitions in addition to its permanent exhibition.
A joint venture with Japan Post, it's housed in the JP Tower in Marunouchi and focuses on interdisciplinary experimentation, showcasing scientific and cultural heritage.
Located in the University of Tokyo's oldest building, it displays architectural models and photographs documenting the construction of various famous structures from around the world.
Aims to preserve and display historical medical materials, offering a tranquil environment for visitors to reflect on the past, present, and future of medical science.
Located in a renovated dairy barn in the Tanashi University Farm, it showcases farming implements and other agricultural artefacts.
Tanashi farm
Faculty of Agriculture
Agricultural Museum
Displays items related to agriculture, including artefacts such as Hachiko's internal organs.
Yayoi
Faculty of Agriculture
Apart from the aforementioned museums, UTokyo operates several other public facilities, the most notable of which are two botanical gardens managed by the Faculty of Science: Koishikawa and Nikko. These gardens, renowned for their diverse botanical collections and historical significance, offer unique educational and recreational opportunities for visitors and researchers.
Established in 1684, this botanical garden has been operated by UTokyo since its foundation as a modern university in 1877.[66] It was in this garden that in 1894 Hirase Sakugoro the discovered spermatozoids of the ginkgo, proving that gymnosperms produce sperm cells. The garden is designated as a National Monument (名勝, meishō) and is open to the public for an admission fee of 500 yen (free for UTokyo students and faculty). [67]
Opened in 1902 as an annex to the Koishikawa Garden, this facility is located in the highland resort town of Nikko and primarily focuses on alpine plants. It has become a popular tourist destination in Nikko and is accessible to the public with an admission fee of 500 yen.[68]
Since its foundation in 1877 as a modern university, UTokyo has conducted numerous research projects across various fields, achieving notable outcomes. Below are some widely-recognised research endeavours conducted by individuals affiliated with UTokyo at the time of their research.
In 1904, Hantaro Nagaoka, an alumnus and professor in the Department of Physics, devised the Saturnian model of the atom. Contrasting with J. J. Thomson's then-popular plum pudding model, Nagaoka's model proposed an atomic structure with a heavy nucleus at the centre and electrons revolving around it.[69] Although this model assumed a far larger nucleus than in reality, it inspired Ernest Rutherford's Rutherford model.[70]
Proton-proton reactionOn 23 February 1987, the Kamioka Nucleon Decay Experiment observatory, part of the Department of Physics, detected cosmic neutrinos for the first time in human history. This discovery significantly contributed to proving that the sun's energy is generated from hydrogen atoms combining into helium(proton-proton reaction chain). Masatoshi Koshiba, leader of this research group, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2002.[71] In 1998, an expanded version of this neutrino observatory detected neutrino oscillation, demonstrating that the 'lepton flavour' of neutrinos changes. This discovery, proving that neutrinos have mass, led to Takaaki Kajita receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015.[72]
UTokyo is considered to be the most selective and prestigious university in Japan and is counted as one of the best universities in the world.[5][76][77]
Nature Index ranked The University of Tokyo #6 in 2015 and #8 in 2017 in its Annual Tables, which measure the largest contributors to papers published in 82 leading journals.[81][82][83]
In the Nature Index Annual Tables 2021, The University of Tokyo was ranked 8th based on 1,308 Natural science research treatises published by the university. In the field of physical science treatises, it ranked second in the world among universities.[84]
In November 2018 Expertscape recognized it as #9 in the world for expertise in Pancreatic Cancer.[85]
The main Hongo campus occupies the former estate of the Maeda family, Edo periodfeudal lords of Kaga Province.[86] One of the university's best known landmarks, Akamon (the Red Gate), is a relic of this era. The symbol of the university is the ginkgo leaf, from the trees found throughout the area. The Hongo campus also hosts UTokyo's annual May Festival.[87]
The Komaba Campus, serving as the educational hub for the first two years of undergraduate studies, provides general education to around 6,000 first and second year students. The campus, also home to the Graduate Schools of Arts, Sciences, and Mathematical Sciences, boasts advanced research facilities. As a recognised "center of excellence," it supports about 450 senior division students in the College of Arts and Sciences and 1,400 graduate students across various disciplines.
The Kashiwa Campus specialises in postgraduate education and research. It houses the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences along with advanced research institutes such as the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, the Institute for Solid State Physics, the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, and the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, equipped with extensive facilities and services.
The relatively small Shirokanedai Campus[88] hosts the Institute of Medical Science of the University of Tokyo (IMSUT), which is entirely dedicated to postgraduate studies. The campus is focused on genome research, including among its facilities the Human Genome Center (HGC), which have at its disposal the largest supercomputer in the field.[89]
^Details on the number of students "学生数の詳細について - 在籍者". u-tokyo.ac.jp. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.(in Japanese)
^ abJapanese journalist Kiyoshi Shimano ranks its entrance difficulty as SA (most selective/out of 10 scales) in Japan. 危ない大学・消える大学 2012年版 (in Japanese). YELL books. 2011. ISBN978-4-7539-3018-0.
^"「安永 竜夫」の記事一覧". PRESIDENT Online（プレジデントオンライン） (in Japanese). Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^"The University of Tokyo". The University of Tokyo, About UTokyo, Chronology. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
^Earthquake disaster and reconstruction, The University of Tokyo 100-year history 東京大学百年史編集委員会, ed. (March 1985). 東大百年史 通史(pdf). Vol. II. 東京大学. p. 385. Archived(PDF) from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021. (in Japanese)
^第86期五月祭常任委員会. "トップページ｜東京大学 第86回五月祭". 第86回五月祭公式ウェブページ. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Human Genome Center, the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo. "Human Genome Center". Hgc.jp. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Kersten, Rikki. "The intellectual culture of postwar Japan and the 1968–1969 University of Tokyo Struggles: Repositioning the self in postwar thought." Social Science Japan Journal 12.2 (2009): 227–245.
Marshall, Byron K. Academic Freedom and the Japanese Imperial University, 1868–1939 (University of California Press, 1992).
Takashi, Tachibana, and Richard H. Minear. Tokyo University and the War (2017), on world war II; online.
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