On September 30, the UK education data organization Times Higher Education (THE) released this year’s World University Rankings, in which the University of Tokyo fell from 26th last year to 27th, and Kyoto University dropped from 61st to 62nd. On 5ch’s Science News+ board, a thread sparked wide-ranging debate — from doubts about scoring criteria that emphasize the ratio of English-language lectures and international students, to the view that this is actually a solid showing compared to 20 years ago when Tokyo U was 53rd and Kyoto U was in the 130s, to criticism of university governance surrounding Tokyo U’s presidential selection process.
Tokyo U Falls to 27th, Kyoto U to 62nd: World University Rankings
[London, Kyodo] The UK education data organization Times Higher Education (THE) released this year’s World University Rankings on the 30th.
The University of Tokyo fell from 26th last year to 27th, while Kyoto University dropped from 61st to 62nd.
It's not like you should ditch Japanese-language lectures and April enrollment just to chase a higher ranking spot.
3AnonymousOct 1, 2026 01:23
About 20 years ago Tokyo U was around 53rd and Kyoto U around 130th, so honestly this isn't bad at all.
4AnonymousOct 1, 2026 01:26
Because they're too busy getting lost in sexual entertainment and hostess clubs.
5AnonymousOct 1, 2026 01:34
The only private science & engineering schools that made the rankings were Tokyo University of Science + the 'Tokyo Four' science & engineering schools + Osaka Institute of Technology/Chiba Institute of Technology + Tokyo University of Technology/Okayama University of Science — pretty thin pickings.
6AnonymousOct 1, 2026 01:42
Factor in everything and they're actually miles ahead, really.
7AnonymousOct 1, 2026 02:58
It's basically a safety school for Chinese students anyway.
28AnonymousOct 1, 2026 13:54
Re: #7
The ones who lost out in China's brutal academic competition and couldn't get into a good school go study at Tokyo U instead and make money in Japan.
Tokyo U is basically China's safety school.
9AnonymousOct 1, 2026 06:42
The rankings favor English-speaking countries anyway, and they weigh things like the ratio of international students, so Japan shouldn't let itself be rattled by this. Tokyo U's international student body has gotten skewed too — something like 70% Chinese.
Under Japan's university system, students graduate without becoming immediately useful in their field. Universities abroad are easy to get into, but you can't graduate without the skills and knowledge to function in the real world. Meanwhile, with discretionary labor systems and non-regular hiring, companies don't have the spare capacity to train and develop staff — so you end up with a flood of employees who can't perform and quit right away, and the overall quality just keeps sliding.
12AnonymousOct 1, 2026 07:29
The result of rounding up memorization champions through paper tests.
13AnonymousOct 1, 2026 07:38
Japan's university system is just a mass-production line for mediocrity, so going is a waste of time. I'd bet getting a tough professional qualification or skill at a vocational school nets you far higher lifetime earnings.
14AnonymousOct 1, 2026 07:57
Well, they're not exactly cheating to learn the tricks for ranking high in contests like this, so what can you do.
15AnonymousOct 1, 2026 08:02
Tokyo U is the kind of place where a feminist coup can happen over a presidential election, so it's no surprise it gets a garbage rating.
16AnonymousOct 1, 2026 08:03
There was research misconduct at Tokyo U.
↓
https://profile.ameba.jp/ameba/takahashi-shigesato/
18AnonymousOct 1, 2026 09:20
Even if the UK collapses as a nation, its famous universities will probably still be standing, huh.
19AnonymousOct 1, 2026 09:31
Idiot Japan, always obsessing over rankings.
20AnonymousOct 1, 2026 09:48
So which Japanese university would rank around 27th domestically? Yokohama National University or so? And 62nd would be like… Tsuru University or Kyoto Institute of Technology?
21AnonymousOct 1, 2026 09:49
This ranking has international-student recruitment agencies behind it. It's especially geared toward students from India and China — that's why the ratio of English-taught classes matters so much.
22AnonymousOct 1, 2026 10:14
It's the criteria though…
23AnonymousOct 1, 2026 10:44
People from Kansai always talk like Kyoto U is basically on par with Tokyo U, but there's actually this much of a gap.
25AnonymousOct 1, 2026 11:46
>[London, Kyodo] The UK education data organization Times Higher Education (THE) released this year's World University Rankings on the 30th.
Who cares about such an arbitrary ranking — make one that rates universities highly for letting you earn a degree in your native language instead.
26AnonymousOct 1, 2026 12:44
Losing by double the score is still fair game to overturn — that's the Tokyo U rule, so no problem.
30AnonymousOct 1, 2026 21:21
To begin with, the World University Rankings were created by the UK — which wants to attract wealthy Chinese international students — basically for China's benefit. It's just a ranking that suits them. You can tell from the fact that English-taught classes are a requirement.
31AnonymousOct 2, 2026 00:32
I think English-taught classes are pointless. Add more Japanese language and Japanese history instead.
34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 08:59
Wasn't the next university president picked through backroom politics or something?
35AnonymousOct 2, 2026 10:03
Re: #34
Since that's naturally how it works at American private universities, where ultra-wealthy families pass down chairmanships tax-free, Japan's national universities set it up the same way when they became independent administrative institutions — letting the outgoing president, acting on the education ministry's wishes, decide the next one behind closed doors.
37AnonymousOct 2, 2026 12:46
Re: #35
There's a risk this leads to undemocratic, self-righteous university management. And what if the education minister refuses to approve the new president's appointment?
…Is this a trap set by the ministry to put a leash on the universities?
38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 12:57
Re: #37
>There's a risk this leads to undemocratic, self-righteous university management
That's just normal for American private universities.
>What if the education minister refuses to approve the new president's appointment? Re: #35
>the outgoing president, acting on the education ministry's wishes, decides it behind closed doors
36AnonymousOct 2, 2026 12:00
What's the point of a ranking like that anyway! That ranking's gotta be sour grapes (a reference to the fox-and-grapes fable — dismissing it as spite from a loser).
40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 14:46
Re: #38
Is that why they're at odds with President Trump, was it?
Background and Talking Points on This Topic
THE’s World University Rankings weight “internationalization” metrics — such as the ratio of international students and English-taught courses — alongside educational environment and citation counts, which structurally disadvantages Japanese universities that tend to be domestically self-contained. In the thread, the view that these metrics were designed to attract international students clashed with voices reflecting critically on Japan’s memorization-heavy domestic education. Worth noting: THE’s current ranking methodology was established around 2010, so the thread’s comparison to “Tokyo U being 53rd 20 years ago” spans a period that used a different calculation method — some caution is warranted before drawing a simple year-over-year comparison.
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