Chikuma Shinsho 1850 “Todaisotsu” no Kenkyu (A Study of University of Tokyo Graduates - Survey Data Analysis of the Academic Elite in Japan)

Regardless of the case, it is necessary to ascertain the facts as accurately as possible. Attaching an overly positive or negative meaning to something is merely an illusion. The larger, more complex, and longer an object is, the more difficult it is to ascertain its true nature. Therefore, we need information that allows us to examine the object from various perspectives.
 
The subject of this book is the University of Tokyo (UT). As Japan's largest and oldest national university, a large number of students enroll and graduate annually. New students pass through the throughput of education and student life before entering society. While it is possible to collect data from perspectives such as research results and social contributions to examine the functioning of UT as an organization, another important approach is to examine the student flow: input, throughput, output, and, ultimately, outcomes after entering society.
 
However, while UT has conducted various surveys of its students, faculty, and staff, it has never conducted a comprehensive survey of its alumni. Therefore, we conducted a unique survey of UT alumni to acquire information on input and throughput as well as output and outcome, even if only retrospectively. Data from the alumni survey were analyzed using five themes: women from rural areas, first-generation university students, professional careers, family formation, and social awareness. This book is a compilation of the results obtained by the author and those of four doctoral students supervised by the author.
 
As this was the first survey, the questionnaire was designed to allow for an analysis from multiple perspectives, which increased the response burden and resulted in fewer respondents than expected. The possibility of sample bias cannot be ruled out. However, since we obtained sufficient responses that could be analyzed, we decided to first introduce the insights that can be drawn from these data. To conduct a more accurate survey, it is necessary for UT to take the lead in collecting a more representative sample.
 
The revealed that: The upbringing of women from rural areas before university enrollment and that of women from the Tokyo metropolitan area is very different. First-generation university students (those whose parents are not university graduates) are not at an academic disadvantage but are somewhat weaker in extracurricular activities and establishing personal networks. UT graduates include not only managers and executives but also a significant proportion of professionals. However, women and first-generation university students tend to be at a disadvantage in terms of income. Further, a high proportion of UT female graduates have families. Finally, UT graduates’ awareness of redistribution is somewhat weaker than in general attitude surveys.
 
UT provides generally positive experiences and knowledge to its students. Further, after entering society, many of these students gain a foothold in various fields not only through their attributes as "academic elites" but also through proactive career actions. However, even UT does not have the power to erase the impact of students’ pre-enrollment backgrounds and attributes, and "reinvent" them. Naturally, graduates are not a monolithic group; there are differences and nuances.
 
If this enormous university were to be usurped for the sake of intergenerational succession and reproduction by those from privileged backgrounds, the very basis for its existence would be threatened. Given the perspective of student flow, UT needs to continue making even greater efforts toward self-examination and self-improvement.
 

(Written by HONDA Yuki, Professor, Graduate School of Education / 2025)