The University of Tokyo, regarded as Japan's most prestigious university, has selected its first female president in the 150 years since its founding. The university pointed to her "ability to communicate science and technology to society."
According to Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun on the 29th, the University of Tokyo convened its presidential selection committee the previous day, following the expiry of President Teruo Fujii's term, and chose Yuko Fujigaki, 64, a professor in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as its 32nd president. Her six-year term begins in April 2027, and it is the first time a woman has been selected as president of the University of Tokyo.
At a news conference the same day, Fujigaki said she bears "a responsibility for trust in scholarship," adding that she would "fulfill the role of a symbol of academia in Japan and around the world."
The selection produced an upset, with the runner-up in an advisory vote by faculty and staff beating the top finisher to win the post. In the vote, which covered the top three candidates shortlisted by the selection committee, Fujigaki placed second behind Vice President Takao Someya.
The committee said it decided on Fujigaki as the next president after weighing the vote results and the candidates' statements of vision. Hiroko Kunitani, chair of the selection committee, a director of Tokyo University of the Arts and a former NHK announcer, said at the news conference that Fujigaki "has both the strong will and the ability to restore trust in scholarship by drawing on her skill in communicating science and technology to society."
Fujigaki faces the task of strengthening the university's competitiveness and putting a series of controversies to rest. The University of Tokyo applied for the government's "Universities for International Research Excellence" program, which draws support from a 10 trillion yen state-backed university fund, but failed to win final selection after a string of misconduct cases, including the arrest of a medical school professor on bribery charges. The university is due to undergo the program's final review later this year.
In the annual World University Rankings published by British higher education assessor QS, the University of Tokyo placed 39th this year, one notch below Seoul National University at 38th. The gap was especially wide in citations per faculty member, where Seoul National University scored 80.7 against the University of Tokyo's 64.6.
"The University of Tokyo marks its 150th anniversary next year, and we have finally produced our first female president," Fujigaki said at the news conference. "This will be a message with considerable social significance." She added that she hopes "the number of female students will grow and that more women will aim to become researchers."
