Statement from the President in Response to the Arrest of a University Faculty Member

A faculty member currently engaged in clinical practice, research, and education at the University of Tokyo Hospital has been arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes. This is an extremely serious matter, and I am keenly aware of my responsibility as President. I offer my sincere apologies to our students and patients, to all those affiliated with the University of Tokyo, and to everyone who has supported us, for the considerable distress and concern resulting from this incident.

The University of Tokyo will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. We will also work to establish the facts on our own through an inquiry conducted by outside attorneys. Based on those findings, we will take firm and appropriate action.

Once we have learned the facts, we will also determine the accountability of our executive leadership, including myself, as well as of the heads of the relevant divisions, and take appropriate measures.

We view this case with the utmost gravity. The fact that it has arisen while the University was already undertaking reforms in response to the previously reported case involving the Clinical Cannabinoid Research Social Cooperation Program in the Graduate School of Medicine further damages public trust in the University of Tokyo and, by extension, in all national universities in Japan.

For a university dedicated to serving the construction of knowledge for the public, it is essential for us to deepen our dialogue with society and to advance education and research through assistance, proposals for collaboration, and resources offered by external companies, organizations, and individuals. In pursuing such partnerships, the trust we receive from our stakeholders is of paramount importance. This series of scandals undermines that trust and impedes the very pursuit of the University’s educational and research missions. Such incidents are absolutely unacceptable.

To restore the trust we have lost, the entire University will unite under the leadership of its executives to swiftly implement the governance reforms outlined below.

These reforms are not merely in response to the incidents that have already occurred. We must pursue them in an integrated manner to establish a robust governance framework befitting a comprehensive university that serves the global public. We aim to decide about our initial measures by the end of this year and implement them promptly. We believe that these reforms will strengthen the institution-wide governance that has been an ongoing challenge for our University, enabling us to better foster broad-based co-creation with society.

Recognizing that the University of Tokyo now faces a critical situation, we commit ourselves fully to these reforms so that we may restore public trust and continue to advance our educational, research, clinical, and other activities.

Teruo Fujii
President, The University of Tokyo
November 24, 2025

Details of Governance Reforms

• 1) Review of systems governing activities that involve the receipt of private-sector funding

  In response to the earlier case, we have already formulated university-wide reform measures (PDF File: 274KB) for the operation of social collaboration courses and similar programs, with a focus on ensuring thorough ethical awareness among faculty and staff and on strengthening governance by the university headquarters. Implementation of these measures has already begun. In addition, we will review and reform the current system for receiving and managing donations, including conflict-of-interest checks, which has been identified as a concern in this case.

• 2) Fundamental reform of the Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, and University of Tokyo Hospital

  We will identify the problems in the organizational structure and management of the Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, and University of Tokyo Hospital, pursue fundamental solutions, and realize sound and sustainable hospital operations. To this end, we have established the Reform Committee for the Graduate School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, and the University of Tokyo Hospital (PDF File: 154KB) composed primarily of external members. The committee will set the direction for fundamental reforms, including reviewing the organizational structure, such as the possibility of transitioning the hospital from affiliation with the Faculty of Medicine to direct affiliation with the University, as well as improving operational transparency, strengthening collaboration among departments, promoting information sharing, reviewing and strengthening the management and utilization of donations and other external funding, and enhancing personnel mobility and ensuring appropriate assignments. We will implement the reforms promptly. In addition, we will review and revise the current process for selecting medical equipment, including conflict-of-interest checks, as that process has been identified as a concern in this case.

• 3) Rebuilding the University-wide risk management framework (PDF File: 150KB)

  To fundamentally strengthen the University’s overall compliance framework, we will introduce more reliable and effective systems, drawing on practices at international organizations and private companies. At the same time, we will rebuild our crisis management framework to enable swift and accurate decision-making when incidents occur.

  Although the investigations and legal proceedings related to the current cases are still ongoing, we will proceed as quickly as possible to review the University’s response processes and incorporate the findings into our new risk management framework.