Showa University Admits to Rigging Entrance Exam Results

October 16, 2018

Tokyo- Showa University in Tokyo admitted Monday that its medical school has been rigging entrance examination results in favor of first- and second-time test takers, while putting former students' children high on waiting lists to fill vacancies.

The preferential treatment that has been granted since six years ago was detected by a recent education ministry survey following the revelation of admission fraud at Tokyo Medical University.

"We were told by a regulatory agency that these practices are inappropriate, given the necessity of fairness and transparency in entrance examinations," Yoshio Ogawa, head of the Showa University School of Medicine, said at a press conference.

"We deeply apologize for the practices that undermined public trust," Ogawa said.

The university denied that the medical school had any gender-based admission criteria, as did Tokyo Medical University.

Showa University said it will set up a third-party investigation committee to look into the matter while responding appropriately to examination takers who were disadvantaged by the admission practices.

Explaining the reason for the rigging of examination scores of those who were in the final year at high schools or within one year of their high school graduation, Ogawa said they were believed more promising than older prospective students.

He added that former students' children were also viewed as more likely to become good medical practitioners as they were supposed to have been taught by their parents about the university's ideals.

A total of 19 children of former students have been admitted from waiting lists under the preferential treatment, according to the university. Jiji Press