Tokyo University has elected its first female president in 149 years, but controversy has erupted over the selection process after the candidate who received the most votes in a faculty preference poll was passed over in favor of the second-place candidate.
On October 14, international media reported that the university's presidential selection and oversight committee has named Yuko Fujigaki (藤垣裕子), a 63-year-old professor in the Graduate School of Comprehensive Cultural Studies, as the next president, succeeding Teruo Fujii, whose term ends in March 2027. Fujigaki will officially take office on April 1, 2027, after being appointed by the Minister of Education.
The controversy arose after the results of an internal vote were made public. In a second preference vote involving faculty members, Takao Someya, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, received 1,107 votes, securing a majority. In contrast, Fujigaki garnered only 553 votes, nearly half that of Someya.
The selection committee stated that the faculty vote was merely a reference and that they based their decision on a comprehensive evaluation that included written assessments and in-depth interviews. Following a series of bribery scandals, including the arrest of a hospital assistant professor last November and a medical school professor in January, there has been increased demand for governance reform at the university. The committee praised Fujigaki's expertise in science and technology studies, particularly her proposals for research ethics and organizational reform.
However, dissent continues within the university. Some faculty and student groups have issued statements demanding clarity on the objective criteria used to select the second-place candidate over the one who received the majority of votes. External critics have also raised concerns that the decision to overturn the vote results was influenced by the symbolic significance of appointing the first female president ahead of the university's 150th anniversary in 2027.
Currently, the proportion of female faculty members at Tokyo University remains in the 10% range, and Japan ranks 117th out of 145 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Global Gender Gap Index.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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