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THE Japan University Rankings
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THE Japan University Rankings 2025

Times Higher Education World University Rankings · · Methodology · Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings official website · Editorial Standards

Evaluates Japanese universities for teaching resources, student engagement, and internationalization.

THE evaluates universities across five pillars — Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook — making it one of the most comprehensive ranking systems.

How does THE Japan University Rankings evaluate universities?

THE Japan University Rankings, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluates universities worldwide using key indicators such as Resources, Engagement, Outcomes, Environment, each assigned a distinct weight according to a publicly documented methodology. Data sources combine academic peer reviews, employer surveys, bibliometric databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, and institutional self-reported statistics, all independently verified by the publisher's research team. The 2025 edition assessed 172 universities from 1 countries and regions, covering teaching quality, research output, internationalization, and graduate employability across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Times Higher Education World University Rankings recollects raw data annually and cross-checks results to ensure the rankings reflect each institution's most current performance in faculty strength, scholarly productivity, global reach, and student outcomes, providing a reliable reference for prospective students, parents, and education researchers.

Which are the top universities in THE Japan University Rankings 2025?

The top universities in THE Japan University Rankings 2025 are: Tohoku University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Kyushu University. This edition, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluated 172 universities from 1 countries and regions using indicators such as Resources, Engagement, Outcomes, Environment. Rankings reflect weighted performance across multiple dimensions; students should consider methodology differences and their own academic priorities when interpreting results.

How does THE Japan University Rankings differ from other ranking systems?

THE (Times Higher Education) World University Rankings is among the most comprehensive, evaluating universities across teaching (30%), research environment (30%), research quality (30%), industry income (2.5%), and international outlook (7.5%), with 18 fine-grained indicators. Data sources combine the Elsevier Scopus bibliometric database, academic reputation surveys, and institution-reported statistics. The methodology underwent a major 2024 revision, adding a Research Quality category to reduce reliance on sheer output volume. In comparison, QS leans more on reputation surveys, ARWU is built solely on objective research metrics (Nobel Prizes, highly cited researchers), and US News centers on research productivity and citation impact. THE suits applicants seeking a balanced view of a university's combined research and teaching strength.

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Total 172 universities

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University
Country
1 Tohoku University logo Tohoku University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 85.0 79.8 84.3 93.4 88.2
2 Tokyo Institute of Technology logo Tokyo Institute of Technology (æąåˇĨ大) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 82.7 74.5 85.2 90.8 86.3
3 The University of Tokyo logo The University of Tokyo (UT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 82.2 81.8 84.4 89.6 73.6
4 Kyoto University logo Kyoto University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.9 78.7 80.7 96.2 77.4
5 Kyushu University logo Kyushu University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.5 71.4 84.6 95.6 82.5
6 The University of Osaka logo The University of Osaka đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.2 74.5 83.2 91.2 81.6
7 Nagoya University logo Nagoya University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 79.8 73.4 82.9 92.6 76.0
8 Hokkaido University logo Hokkaido University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 79.4 70.8 83.9 94.0 75.4
9 University of Tsukuba logo University of Tsukuba đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 78.2 69.6 84.0 86.1 77.8
11 International Christian University logo International Christian University (ICU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 72.1 49.1 91.6 51.1 98.7
12 Keio University Keio University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 72.0 58.6 77.7 89.6 72.3
13 Hiroshima University logo Hiroshima University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 71.4 63.7 82.3 64.1 73.9
14 Waseda University logo Waseda University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 70.8 48.1 81.4 87.9 80.1
15 Kobe University logo Kobe University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 69.7 61.8 78.9 72.0 67.5
16 Chiba University logo Chiba University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 68.1 60.0 78.8 59.4 72.7
17 Hitotsubashi University logo Hitotsubashi University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 67.3 44.8 84.9 60.5 84.4
18 Tokyo Medical and Dental University Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 67.0 83.9 62.1 37.0 69.7
19 Kanazawa University logo Kanazawa University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.6 62.1 78.0 51.6 69.2
20 Okayama University logo Okayama University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 64.7 57.6 77.5 50.6 68.6
21 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 64.1 61.9 70.6 46.3 72.5
22 Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University logo Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.5 33.5 87.7 37.2 99.3
23 Kumamoto University logo Kumamoto University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.1 59.4 74.9 54.2 58.6
24 Sophia University logo Sophia University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 62.8 38.6 82.8 40.7 91.8
25 Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 62.2 38.1 83.9 40.1 88.1
26 Nagasaki University logo Nagasaki University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.9 59.4 74.5 41.9 63.0
27 University of Aizu logo University of Aizu (UoA) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.7 55.3 80.1 - 87.9
28 Ritsumeikan University Ritsumeikan University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.4 36.4 79.8 52.5 78.7
29 Nagaoka University of Technology logo Nagaoka University of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.2 54.7 60.8 47.2 79.0
30 Yokohama National University logo Yokohama National University (YNU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.1 48.4 74.7 57.0 60.4
31 Kyoto Institute of Technology logo Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.0 54.7 70.6 38.8 70.3
32 Shibaura Institute of Technology logo Shibaura Institute of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 59.7 44.2 75.2 42.6 76.7
33 Osaka Metropolitan University logo Osaka Metropolitan University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 59.1 63.7 73.6 55.2 26.4
34 Nagoya City University logo Nagoya City University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.6 70.1 62.6 47.1 42.2
35 = Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology logo Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.7 55.4 62.2 46.4 63.9
37 Kyushu Institute of Technology logo Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.5 47.3 78.3 39.9 57.6
38 Ochanomizu University logo Ochanomizu University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.4 59.0 75.4 - 66.4
39 Tokyo University of Science logo Tokyo University of Science đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.2 49.3 78.1 56.5 39.8
40 = Rikkyo University logo Rikkyo University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.8 33.0 82.0 40.0 72.8
40 = Toyohashi University of Technology logo Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.8 57.3 48.2 39.1 72.6
42 = Doshisha University Doshisha University (DU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.6 34.8 79.7 45.2 67.9
42 = The University of Electro-Communications The University of Electro-Communications đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.6 56.2 67.8 34.3 58.4
44 Yokohama City University logo Yokohama City University (YCU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.1 68.5 62.9 25.4 49.4
45 Kwansei Gakuin University logo Kwansei Gakuin University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 55.6 33.8 78.0 40.4 71.0
46 Niigata University logo Niigata University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 55.5 50.8 74.6 44.6 43.6
47 Meiji University logo Meiji University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 55.3 36.5 80.9 43.6 58.5
49 = Aoyama Gakuin University logo Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 54.4 35.4 78.6 37.4 64.0
49 = Nagoya Institute of Technology logo Nagoya Institute of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 54.4 51.6 68.7 46.4 43.9
51 Saga University logo Saga University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 53.9 59.6 71.6 12.4 41.2
52 Kansai University logo Kansai University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 53.7 35.1 76.3 39.8 62.8
53 Akita University Akita University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 53.4 49.1 64.9 32.8 59.9