Tokyo Medical University

In August 2018, Tokyo Medical University came under attack for a policy of deliberately lowering entrance exam scores of female applicants by 10-20% in order to keep the number of female students below 30%.[1][2][3][4] The policy is thought to have been in place since 2010, prior to which almost 40% of female students were admitted.[1] The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper quoted an unknown source at the university who attempted to explain the rationale for the discrimination, saying "many female students who graduate end up leaving the actual medical practice to give birth and raise children."[2]

The Huffington Post reported that it was common for interviewers to probe female students about their marriage and child-rearing plans at their university entrance interview.[5]

In the wake of the news, high ranking medical professionals including Kyoko Tanebe and Ruriko Tsushima, executive board members at the Japan Joint Association of Medical Professional Women as well as education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, condemned the university and a practice thought to be prevalent in medical universities across Japan.[4]

The university later admitted that exam scores had been altered, and apologized, saying it would consider admitting students who otherwise would have passed the exams.[6] An internal investigation found the practice had been in place since 2006, that the scores of male applicants had also been marked down on at least four occasions, and that scores of students who had made donations to the school had been increased on 19 occasions.[7]

In January 2019, the education ministry announced that as a consequence of the scandal it would not provide financial subsidies to Tokyo Medical University for the current or subsequent fiscal year.[8]