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University of Tokyo ranked 29th globally by Times Higher Education

Sep 29, 2023 (NHK) - Two leading Japanese universities have risen in global rankings compiled by a British educational journal.

Times Higher Education released its annual World University Rankings on Wednesday. The evaluations are based on a set of indicators that measure performance across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.

The survey ranked the state-run University of Tokyo in 29th position, up ten places from last year. Kyoto University is in 55th place, up from 68th last year.

The top 10 is dominated by British and US universities again this year.

The University of Oxford tops the rankings for the eighth year in a row. Stanford University moves up to second place, up one rank from last year.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology climbed two places to number three. Harvard University was ranked fourth, down two places from last year. The University of Cambridge slipped to fifth place after having shared the number three position with Stanford last year.

For the first time, China has two universities in the top 15. Tsinghua University is ranked 12th, and Peking University is 14th.

Times Higher Education quotes an educational expert as saying that the Chinese government's generous funding and other factors have helped the nation's universities to rise in the global rankings.

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Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

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Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

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