Tokyo Medical University to Have Female President

September 20, 2018

Tokyo- A woman is set to become president of Tokyo Medical University for the first time ever, apparently reflecting its aim to recover from negative publicity about its past discrimination against female applicants to the university.

Yukiko Hayashi, professor of pathophysiology, was elected to the post by the university's faculty council on Wednesday after winning a majority of valid votes.

She will assume the office of president by receiving approval from the university's board of regents at a meeting on Tuesday.

In July, Mamoru Suzuki, then president of the university, and Masahiko Usui, then board of regents chairman, stepped down from their posts due to their suspected involvement in an entrance examination-related bribery scandal.

They are suspected of fraudulently helping the son of a former bureau chief at the education ministry pass the university's entrance exam, by bumping up his scores, in return for receiving favorable treatment over a subsidy program.

Giving another blow to its reputation, the university was later found to have lowered scores of female entrance exam takers to limit the number of women admitted to the school.

Hayashi was nominated for the post by other professors, while her sole opponent in the presidential election, a male professor of the department of pediatrics, put himself up.

The university has not decided when and how to pick the new chairman of the board of regents. Jiji Press