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In Times Higher Education’s inaugural Japan 51������Ƶ Rankings, the 51������Ƶ of Tokyo is the country’s premier institution.

This new ranking is designed to give students and their families the information they need to choose where to study and focuses on the teaching and learning environments that universities offer students. Like the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings, the ranking is based on four “pillars” (resources, engagement, outcomes and environment) that concentrate on what the universities offer applicants.  

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The top end of the ranking is predominantly taken up by the National Seven Universities, a group of institutions founded by the Empire of Japan between 1886 and 1939, and run by the imperial government until the end of the Second World War.

The universities in the National Seven group are the Hokkaido 51������Ƶ (eighth).

The Tokyo Institute of Technology (joint fourth) is the only university that is not part of the National Seven group to appear in the top five of the Japan 51������Ƶ Rankings. The Tokyo Institute of Technology’s highly selective admissions process and strong emphasis on science and technology research most likely contributed to its high position in the rankings. Meanwhile, the 51������Ƶ of Tsukuba is in ninth place.

The institutions at the head and the tail of the top 10, the 51������Ƶ of Tokyo and Waseda 51������Ƶ, respectively, are both situated in Japan’s capital along with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, while the universities in the middle of the top 10 table are scattered throughout the country. 

The student-focused nature of the Japan 51������Ƶ Rankings differs significantly from the THE World 51������Ƶ Rankings. To explore the full methodology for the Japan 51������Ƶ Rankings, please click here. 

View the full results of the Japan 51������Ƶ Rankings