Browse the THE Japan University Rankings 2019 results
Kyoto University has topped the latest Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which includes results from a student survey for the first time.
Last year, Kyoto shared the number one spot with The University of Tokyo, which has now slipped to second place.
Kyoto’s performance for teaching environment improved this year; this pillar includes metrics on the share of international students and staff, as well as the number of students in international exchange programmes, and the number of courses taught in a language other than Japanese.
Japanese universities ‘improving on internationalisation’
The university also leads the outcomes pillar for the first time. This measures academic and employer reputation, based on two surveys.
The Japan University Rankings are one of three THE league tables that focus on student engagement and learning outcomes, rather than research. For the first time this year, the Japan ranking includes three indicators that are drawn from a new THE Japan Student Survey, modelled on surveys used in the US and Europe-focused teaching rankings.
View this year’s Japan University Rankings methodology in full
These new metrics form part of the engagement pillar, which is led by Akita International University this year. The institution also tops the environment pillar, while the University of Tokyo is number one for resources, which includes metrics on income, student-staff ratio and research output.
International Christian University is the top-ranked private institution in the table, at 11th place, up from 16th.
THE Japan University Rankings 2019: the top 10
| 2019 rank | 2018 rank | Institution | Overall score |
| 1 | 1= | Kyoto University | 82.0 |
| 2 | 1= | The University of Tokyo | 81.9 |
| 3 | 3 | Tohoku University | 80.2 |
| 4 | 5 | Kyushu University | 79.5 |
| =5 | 6 | Hokkaido University | 79.3 |
| =5 | 7 | Nagoya University | 79.3 |
| 7 | 4 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 79.0 |
| 8 | 8 | Osaka University | 77.9 |
| 9 | 9 | University of Tsukuba | 77.5 |
| 10 | 12 | Akita International University | 76.7 |
