President-elect Yuko Fujigaki holds press conference
Professor Yuko Fujigaki of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences shared her vision for the University of Tokyo at a press conference on Sept. 29, 2026, one day after being elected the university’s next president by the University President Screening & Inspection Committee.
She will succeed President Teruo Fujii, whose six-year term ends on March 31, 2027. Following appointment by the minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, she will take office on April 1, 2027, becoming UTokyo’s 32nd president and the first woman to hold the position in the university’s nearly 150-year history. Her six-year term will run through March 31, 2033.
Speaking at the press conference held at Sanjo Conference Hall on the Hongo Campus, Fujigaki emphasized the fundamental role universities play in society and humanity’s pursuit of knowledge.
“The University of Tokyo is a place where many outstanding researchers gather. Being entrusted with the role of president carries great responsibility,” she said.
Fujigaki said that amid increasingly difficult circumstances surrounding higher education, it is important to return to the fundamental question of what a university is and what role it should play in society.
“Human beings differ from other animals in that we possess mechanisms for transmitting information across generations through culture, education and learning. Universities are among the most important of these institutions for intergenerational knowledge transfer," she said.
Saying that UTokyo’s international and social mission is to lead academia in Japan and around the world, Fujigaki said: “We must establish a solid financial foundation while taking responsibility for maintaining trust in scholarship 25 or 50 years into the future. Through that effort, UTokyo should continue to lead academic development in Japan and the world.”
During a question and answer session with reporters, when asked about becoming the first female president in UTokyo’s history, Fujigaki said: “I believe it sends a strong message to society that, after 150 years, the University of Tokyo has chosen its first woman president,” adding that she hopes more women would enroll at the university and pursue careers in research.
She also expressed high expectations for the UTokyo College of Design, the university’s new interdisciplinary degree program taught entirely in English, scheduled to launch in September 2027. Fujigaki said it would help cultivate people capable of creating new areas of academia through cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Tokyo native Fujigaki, 64, is a professor specializing in science and technology studies and scientometrics. After earning a Ph.D. from UTokyo’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, she joined the university as an assistant professor in 1990. She later served as vice director in research at the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy before returning to UTokyo as an associate professor in 2000, and became a professor in 2010. She held several senior leadership positions at the university, including executive assistant to the president, vice dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and executive vice president from 2021 to March, 2026.
Hiroko Kuniya, chair of the 16-member screening and inspection committee comprising representatives from both inside and outside the university, said: “She possesses the ability to realize transformation toward a more open university. Drawing on her broad international experience, she can promote the development of diverse forms of knowledge through the integration of the arts and sciences and through enhanced communication both within and beyond the university.”
In the run-up to the committee’s decision, the university held an opinion vote on Sept. 28 among eligible faculty and administrative members. Five candidates were on the ballot after advancing through a screening process, and Executive Director and Vice President Takao Someya ultimately received a majority of the votes in the second round of voting, which had been narrowed down to the top three vote-getters from the previous round. Someya received 1,107 votes, followed by 553 votes for Fujigaki and 451 for Executive Vice President Ryuji Yamamoto, with 58 blank votes also cast.
The committee selected Fujigaki as president-elect after conducting a comprehensive review of the five candidates, taking into consideration the content of their interviews, policy statements, the results of the opinion vote and other evaluation materials submitted during the selection process.
