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Medical university admits exam-tampering

Aug 08 (NHK) - Tokyo Medical University has admitted to tampering with entrance exam scores to raise the bar for women and for men who failed such exams several times.

Tokyo prosecutors indicted Masahiko Usui, former chairman of the university's board of regents, and the university's former president last month on bribery charges.

They were charged with allowing the son of a former education ministry bureau chief to be admitted to the school illegally in exchange for favoritism in connection with a government subsidy program.

The university's in-house panel announced the results of its investigation on Tuesday.

The panel found that in February this year, the university padded the scores of 6 exam-takers, including the former bureau chief's son, by 10 to 49 points in the first stage of the entrance exam.

In the second-stage exam, high school seniors and those who failed last year's test and the test one year before that were given 20 extra points. Those who failed the test for 3 straight years were given only 10 points.

No extra points were given to female exam-takers and men who failed such exams 4 times or more.

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