Tokyo University picks Fujigaki as next president; minister seeks explanation
In short
Tokyo University's selection committee chose Yuko Fujigaki, a professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as its next president even though she placed second in a faculty and staff preference vote. Education Minister Yoshihiro Seki said the committee should carefully explain its decision and that the ministry would keep watching the matter. NHK reported she is the university's first female president since its founding.
Read the full story 1 min read
Tokyo University's selection committee has chosen Yuko Fujigaki as the university's next president, according to Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and NHK. Fujigaki placed second in the preference vote held by professors and staff, receiving about half the votes of the first-place candidate, Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported. The committee said it made its judgment after comprehensively considering interviews with the candidates, materials and the vote results, according to the same report. [ 2 , 3 ]
Education Minister Yoshihiro Seki addressed the selection at a press conference after a cabinet meeting on October 6. “I understand that various opinions have emerged,” Seki said, adding that it is important for the selection committee to fulfill its responsibility to explain carefully and that the ministry will continue to monitor the response, according to Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and NHK. Tokyo Shimbun also reported the minister's remarks and his intention to keep watching the matter. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The documents describe Fujigaki's position differently: Nishi-Nippon Shimbun identifies her as a 64-year-old professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, while NHK calls her a former vice-president. NHK reported that she is the first woman to be named the university's president since its founding. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The choice of a candidate who did not lead the faculty and staff vote has drawn attention to how the selection committee weighs the ballot against other criteria at Japan's most prominent national university. The education minister's public comment indicates the ministry is following how the committee explains the process, leaving open whether the decision is contested further.
Key facts
- Tokyo University's selection committee selected Yuko Fujigaki as the next president. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Fujigaki placed second in the faculty and staff preference vote, receiving about half the votes of the first-place candidate. [ 2 ]
- She is described as a professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a former vice-president. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Education Minister Yoshihiro Seki said the selection committee should fulfill its responsibility to explain carefully and that the ministry would keep watching the matter. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The selection committee said it judged based on interviews with candidates, materials and the vote results considered comprehensively. [ 2 ]
- NHK reported Fujigaki is the university's first female president since its founding. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Why the committee chose the candidate who placed second in the vote rather than the top vote-getter. The committee said only that it considered interviews, materials and the vote results comprehensively, without setting out its reasoning; the detail comes from a single outlet.
- Fujigaki's role at the university at the time of the selection. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun describes her as a professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, while NHK describes her as a former vice-president; the documents do not reconcile the two.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Tokyo Shimbun publishes a report on the education minister's remarks about the Tokyo University presidential selection. [ 1 ]
- Nishi-Nippon Shimbun publishes its report, including that Fujigaki placed second in the vote. [ 2 ]
- NHK publishes its report on the minister's remarks and Fujigaki's selection. [ 3 ]