University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo (????; T?ky? Daigaku, abbreviated as ?? T?dai) is generally ranked as Japan's most prestigious university. The University has five campuses in Hongo, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano and 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, some 2,100 of them foreign (a large fraction by Japanese standards). While nearly all academic disciplines are taught at the University, it is perhaps best known for its faculties of law and literature. This university has produced many top Japanese politicians though the power of the school has been gradually decreasing. For example; the ratio of its alumni in prime ministers is 2/3, 1/2, 1/4, 1/5 and 1/6 in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s respectively.

Related Topics:
Hongo - Komaba - Kashiwa - Shirokane - Nakano - Academic disciplines - Law - Literature - Japanese politicians

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The University of Tokyo is widely thought of as being one of the most prestigious schools over many areas while its rival schools are Kyoto University as a public university, and Waseda University and Keio University as private universities. In science, Kyoto University has produced more top scientists and Nobel prize winners. One of the presidents of Tokyo Imperial University was Kikuchi Dairoku.

Related Topics:
Kyoto University - Waseda University - Keio University - Kikuchi Dairoku

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It is one of the Tokyo 6 Universities.

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The main Hongo campus occupies the former estate of the Maeda family, Edo period feudal lords of Kaga Province. The university's best known landmark, the Akamon (Red Gate) is a relic of this era. The symbol of the university is the ginkgo leaf, from the abundant trees throughout the area.

Related Topics:
Maeda - Edo period - Kaga Province - Ginkgo

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The university was founded by the Meiji government in 1877 under its current name by amalgamating older government schools for medicine and Western learning. It was renamed to Imperial University (???? Teikoku Daigaku) in 1886 and then "Tokyo Imperial University" (?????? T?ky? Teikoku Daigaku) in 1887, when the imperial university system was created. In 1947, after Japan's defeat in World War II, it assumed the original name again. With the start of the new university system in 1949, Todai swallowed up the old First Higher School (today's Komaba campus) and the old Tokyo Higher School, which henceforth assumed the duty of teaching first and second-year undergraduates, while the faculties on Hongo main campus took care of third and fourth-year students.

Related Topics:
Meiji - Imperial university - World War II

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The University of Tokyo has since 2004 been incorporated as a national university corporation under a new law which applies to all national universities.

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Despite the incorporation, which has led to increased financial independence and autonomy, The University of Tokyo is still partly controlled by the Japanese Ministry of Education (Monbukagakusho, or Monkasho).

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