Editing University of Tokyo (section)

=== 21st century ===
==== Women's education ====
The university first admitted female students in 1946. While the student body has remained predominantly male, various attempts have been made to achieve a more equal gender ratio. In 2023, women made up 23 per cent of first-year undergraduates, the highest percentage in the university's history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=日本放送協会 |date=2023-04-12 |title=東京大学で入学式 女子学生の割合 過去最高の23％ {{!}} NHK |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230412/k10014036201000.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=NHKニュース}}</ref> A quarter of graduate students were female in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=東大でお待ちしております ～誰もが活躍できるキャンパスを目指して、松木則夫 男女共同参画室長より～ |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kyodo-sankaku/ja/campus-voice/s0902_00002.html |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=東京大学男女共同参画室 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=データ集 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kyodo-sankaku/ja/about/publicity/index_00002.html |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=東京大学男女共同参画室 |language=ja}}</ref>

==== Reforms in the 21st century ====
[[File:Hyper-Kamiokande scheme.png|thumb|186x186px|UTokyo's [[Kamioka Observatory|Kamiokande project]] detected cosmic [[neutrino]]s for the first time in human history and later proved neutrinos have mass, resulting in Nobel Prizes in 2003 and 2015.]]
When the British magazine Times Higher Education first published its world university rankings in partnership with QS in 2004, the University of Tokyo was ranked 12th in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS Ranking 2004 - Results |url=https://www.universityrankings.ch/results/QS/2004 |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=universityrankings.ch |language=en}}</ref> In the latest 2024 edition of the rankings, it is ranked 29th.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-25 |title=World University Rankings |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2024/world-ranking |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}</ref> QS, now with its [[QS World University Rankings|own rankings]], placed the UTokyo at 28th.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2024 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2024 |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Top Universities |language=en}}</ref> As these numbers suggest, there is a widely shared concern that the university is falling behind its counterparts in the world, and in the future it may struggle to provide a suitable environment for quality education and world-class research.<ref>{{Cite web |title=駒場をあとに「惜別の辞に代えて」 - 教養学部報 - 教養学部報 |url=https://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/info/about/booklet-gazette/bulletin/598/open/598-1-1.html |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref>

UTokyo faces a challenging reality. [[Lost Decades|Japan's long-lasting economic downturn since the 1990s]] has led to Japanese companies less willing to invest in research and development than before.<ref>{{Cite web |title=科学技術指標2021・html版 {{!}} 科学技術・学術政策研究所 (NISTEP) |date=August 8, 2014 |url=https://www.nistep.go.jp/research/science-and-technology-indicators-and-scientometrics/indicators |access-date=2023-11-10}}</ref> Additionally, the government's Management Expense Grant ({{lang|ja|運営費交付金}}) has been reduced by one per cent annually since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takeuchi |first=Kenta |date=2019 |title=国立大学法人運営費交付金の行方 — 「評価に基づく配分」をめぐって — |url=https://www.sangiin.go.jp/japanese/annai/chousa/rippou_chousa/backnumber/2019pdf/20190603067.pdf}}</ref> This policy, ostensibly aimed at decreasing the university's reliance on the grant and fostering greater independence, has been blamed as one of the main reasons for the decline in the university's competitiveness.<ref>{{Cite web |title=17年度国立大授業料 |url=https://eic.obunsha.co.jp/resource/topics/1004/0401.pdf |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=旺文社 教育情報センター}}</ref>

To address these challenges, UTokyo has implemented various reforms. In 2004, the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC) was established. This venture capital firm, affiliated with the university, supports entrepreneurship arising from UTokyo's research and development, aiming to drive innovation across society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UTEC-The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners Co., Ltd. |url=https://www.ut-ec.co.jp/english/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=UTEC-The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners Co., Ltd.}}</ref> In 2006, the first phase of development was completed at [[Kashiwa Campus, University of Tokyo|Kashiwa Campus]]. Situated in the suburb of [[Kashiwa]], this research-focused campus spans 405,313 square metres (100 acres) and has been at the forefront of advanced scientific research since its inception.<ref>{{Cite web |title=柏キャンパス – 柏キャンパス |url=https://www.kashiwa.u-tokyo.ac.jp/about_kashiwa_campus/kashiwa_campus/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |language=ja}}</ref> In 2010, in an attempt to further internationalise and diversify its student body, the university increased its autumn enrollment opportunities for international students.<ref>{{Cite web |last=東京大学広報室 |date=2010-10-25 |title=「特集：■平成22年度秋季学位記授与式・卒業式■平成22年度秋季入学式」（PDF）|url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/content/400004878.pdf |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=『学内広報』第1404号}}</ref> UTokyo plans to increase the proportion of female faculty members to above a quarter by newly creating positions for 300 female lecturers by 2027.<ref>{{Cite web |last=日本放送協会 |date=2022-11-27 |title=東京大学 女性の教授と准教授 約300人採用へ |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20221127/k10013904891000.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=NHKニュース}}</ref> In 2021, the newly elected President [[Teruo Fujii]] announced the UTokyo Compass, a guiding framework for the university during his tenure, focusing on diversity, dialogue, and creating a better future.<ref name="The University of Tokyo">{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/utokyo-compass.html |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> It emphasises the university's autonomy and creativity in a new era, advocating multifaceted perspectives on knowledge, people, and places. The Compass encourages dialogue throughout the university and society as a pivotal tool for understanding and questioning, fostering inclusivity, and tackling global challenges. In his announcement, he pledged to make UTokyo 'a university that anyone in the world would like to join'.<ref name="The University of Tokyo"/>
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