Tohoku University

Tohoku University (東北大学) is a public research university in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is colloquially referred to as Tohokudai (東北大) or Tonpei (トンペイ).

Established in 1907 as the third of the Imperial Universities, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, it initially focused on science and medicine, later expanding to include humanities studies as well.

In 2016, Tohoku University had 10 faculties, 16 graduate schools and 6 research institutes, with a total enrollment of 17,885 students. The university's three core values are "Research First (研究第一主義)," "Open-Doors (門戸開放)," and "Practice-Oriented Research and Education (実学尊重)."

The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, focusing more on teaching and engagement than its world university rankings, placed Tohoku University 1st in Japan in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. In its 2024 world university rankings, it is ranked 130th globally, making it the third highest ranked university in Japan, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.

History
On 22 June 1907 (Mēji 40), Tohoku Imperial University (東北帝國大學, Tōhoku teikoku daigaku) was established by the Meiji government as the third Imperial University of Japan, after Tokyo Imperial University (1877) and Kyoto Imperial University (1897). From its inception, it advocated 'Open-door' policies, becoming the first university in Japan to accept both female students in 1913, and foreign students.

It was not until 1911 that teaching and research activities started in Sendai. When the university was founded in 1907 it only had one faculty (college), the College of Agriculture, in Sapporo, Hokkaido. This college, originally founded in 1875 as the Sapporo Agricultural College (札幌農學校), precedes the establishment of the university, and in 1918, it became independent to form another imperial university, Hokkaido Imperial University, in its own right. The School of Science was established in Sendai in 1911, followed by the School of Medicine (formerly Sendai Medical College) in 1915, the Faculty of Engineering in 1919, and the Faculty of Law and Literature in 1922.

In 1947, during the post-war educational reform, the university dropped the word 'imperial' along with other imperial universities, and assumed its current name, Tohoku University. It was also this year that the university's academic scope came to cover agriculture again, with the establishment of a new Faculty of Agriculture in Sendai. In 1949, the Faculty of Law and Literature was split to form independent faculties of Law, Literature, and Economics. A Faculty of Education was added in 1949, Dentistry in 1965, and Pharmacy in 1972. Tohoku has been a National University Corporation since April 2004.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake
Subsequent to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the university was declared closed until further notice, but with a tentative re-opening date of the end of the following April.

The Aobayama, Katahira, Amamiya, and Kawauchi campuses are all at least 12 km from the ocean, towards the mountains, and therefore suffered no damage resulting from the tsunami. No deaths or serious injuries within the faculty and student body were reported on campus grounds. However, earthquake damage lead to the closure of 27 buildings and caused millions of dollars of damage to equipment. Classes have resumed normally since early May 2011 and plans for restoring, reinforcing or replacing damaged buildings are underway.

The radiology department has been actively measuring radiation levels throughout the city of Sendai since the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant meltdown, which is about 100 kilometers south. So far no alarming levels of radiation have been detected.

Campuses


Campus locations Principal four campuses are in the Sendai City, Japan;


 * Katahira (片平)
 * Administration Unit. and Principal institutes


 * Kawauchi (川内)
 * North-Kawauchi; The freshmen and sophomore of all undergraduates
 * South-Kawauchi; Law, Education, Economics, Letters


 * Seiryo (星陵)
 * Medicine, Dentistry


 * Aobayama (青葉山)
 * Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Agriculture

Amamiya campus and some institutes transferred to the new extension at Aobayama campus in April 2017.

Research institutes

 * Research Institute of Electrical Communication (電気通信研究所, 通研)
 * Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (加齢医学研究所)
 * Institute of Fluid Science (流体科学研究所)
 * Institute for Materials Research,IMR (金属材料研究所, 金研)


 * National Collaborative Research Institute


 * Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (多元物質科学研究所)
 * International Research Institute of Disaster Science (災害科学国際研究所)
 * Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (東北メディカル・メガバンク機構, Tōhoku Medikaru Megabanku kikō)

Centers and facilities
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 * valign="top"|

University library

 * Tohoku University library
 * Medical Library
 * Kita-Aobayama Library
 * Engineering Library
 * Agricultural Library

University hospital

 * Tohoku University Hospital Seiryo

Inter-department institutes for education and research

 * Center for Northeast Asian Studies
 * Center for the Advancement of Higher Education
 * Health Administration Center
 * University Counseling Center
 * Admission Center
 * Center for Career Support
 * Center for Culture and Language Education
 * The Center for Academic Resources and Archives
 * Tohoku University Museum
 * Tohoku University Archives
 * Tohoku University Botanical Gardens
 * Institute for International Advanced Research and Education Organization
 * Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center
 * New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe)
 * Center for Interdisciplinary Research
 * Technology Center for Research and Education Activities
 * Center for Low-Temperature Science
 * High-Voltage Electron Microscope Laboratory
 * Information Synergy Organization
 * Information Synergy Center (National Collaboration Institution)
 * valign="top"|

Collaborating institutions

 * Office of Cooperative Research and Development
 * Office for Strategic Promotion of Basic Research
 * Center for Research Strategy and Support(CRESS)
 * Environment Conservation Research Institute
 * Center for International Exchange
 * Archaeological Research office on the Campus
 * Global Operations center
 * Campus Planning office

Tohoku University Overseas Office

 * Tohoku University US Office
 * Tohoku University China Office

e-learning system

 * Internet School of Tohoku University (ISTU)

Dormitories

 * Ibun-ryo (以文寮)
 * Josyun-ryo (如春寮)
 * Seifu-ryo (霽風寮)
 * Nissyu-ryo (日就寮)
 * Meizen-ryo (明善寮)
 * Matsukaze-ryo (松風寮)
 * University House Sanjo (ユニバーシティ・ハウス三条)
 * International House (国際交流会館)
 * }

Academic rankings
Tohoku University has a high reputation, and this is recognised as shown in the rankings below.

General rankings
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, it is ranked 130th globally, making it the third-highest-ranking university in Japan, after the University of Tokyo (29th) and Kyoto University (55th). The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which focus more on teaching and engagement than the world university rankings, placed Tohoku University 1st in Japan in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

In the QS World University Rankings 2024, Tohoku University is ranked 113th globally and fifth in Japan, after UTokyo, KyotoU, OsakaU, and Tokyo Tech.

Research performance
Tohoku University is one of the top research institutions in Japan. According to Thomson Reuters, Tohoku University is the fourth best research university in Japan. Its research excellence is especially distinctive in Materials Science (1st in Japan, third in the world), Physics (2nd in Japan, tenth in the world), Pharmacology & Toxicology (3rd in Japan, 64th in the world) and Chemistry (6th in Japan, 20th in the world).

Times Higher Education also reported that Tohoku University was ranked 3rd in Japan (201st - 250th in the world) for the World University Rankings 2022 by Subject: social sciences. The social sciences ranking includes the weightings such as Research: volume, income and reputation (accounts for 32.6 per cent) and Citations: research influence (accounts for 25 per cent).

In addition, Nature Index ranked Tohoku University as 4th in Japan (90th in the world, 38th in Asia Pacific) on 2023 tables: Institutions. The 2022 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. Before the 2022 edition, Nature Index also ranked Tohoku University as 5th in Japan (77th in the world, 28th in Asia Pacific) on 2021 tables: Institutions, that are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

According to the Qs World university rankings　on 2012/9 surveyed about the general standards in Engineering&Technology field, Tohoku university was placed 56th (world), fifth (national).

As Tohoku University has been emphasizing 'practical' research, Tohoku received the top place for its number of patents accepted (324) during 2009 among Japanese Universities.

Graduate school rankings
Tohoku University Law School is one of the most famous Law schools in Japan, as it was ranked fifth in the passing rate of Japanese Bar Examination in 2020.

Alumni rankings
Mines ParisTech : Professional Ranking World Universities ranks Tohoku University as 13th in the world (5th in Japan) in 2011 in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.

Popularity and selectivity
Tohoku University is regarded as a selective university, with its faculty of medicine being particularly noted for its selectivity. It is usually ranked amongst the most selective STEM degrees in the country, alongside the medicine, engineering and science degrees at the University of Tokyo and the faculties of medicine of TMDU, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, and Keio.

Notable people associated with Tohoku University
Many world-class celebrities have attended or served at Tohoku University.

Sciences

 * Hitoshi Oshitani (押谷仁), scientist, virologist and public health expert
 * Tetsuo Nozoe (野副 鉄男), chemist, known for hinokitiol
 * Tsutomu Ōhashi (大橋 力), artist and scientist, Doctor of Agriculture
 * Syun-Ichi Akasofu (赤祖父 俊一), geophysicist, the founding director of the International Arctic Research Center of UAF
 * Hiroshi Maeda (前田 浩), pharmacologist and chemist, known for discovery of EPR effect
 * Morio Kasai (葛西 森夫, 1922–2008), a surgeon who developed the Kasai procedure for biliary atresia
 * Chen Wei-jao (陳維昭), a surgeon and president of National Taiwan University
 * Lo Tung-bin (羅銅壁), biochemist, pioneer in the research on proteins in Taiwan
 * Susumu Satomi (里見 進), a surgeon and president of Tohoku University
 * Ryuta Kawashima (川島 隆太), neuroscientist, currently resident professor, the supervisor of Nintendo DS gamesofts; Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! and Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?
 * Noriko Osumi (大隅 典子), neuroscientist, the vice president of Tohoku University (2018–)
 * Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi, president of University of Tehran

Engineering

 * Shintaro Uda (宇田 新太郎), an inventor of the Yagi-Uda antenna 1926, the ubiquitous television antenna
 * Jun-Ichi Nishizawa (西澤 潤一), the engineer known for inventing optical communication systems including optical fiber, laser diode and so forth, PIN diode and SIT/SITh
 * Fujio Masuoka (舛岡 富士雄), the developer of Flash Memory
 * Masayoshi Esashi (江刺 正喜), engineer, the global authority of Microelectromechanical systems
 * Toshitada Doi (土井 利忠), a pioneer in digital audio, originated Aibo the pet robot
 * Fumihiko Imamura (今村 文彦), civil engineer, the natural disaster expert for NHK after 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
 * Masataka Nakazawa (中沢 正隆), pioneer of optical solitons in high-speed optical communication in fiber optic networks and rare earth-doped optical amplifiers (such as EDFA)

Literature and art

 * Ben Goto (五島 勉), a Japanese writer
 * Hayao Hamada (浜田 隼雄), a Taiwanese author
 * Tadao Ooike (大池 唯雄), novelist, 1938 Naoki Prize winner
 * Yō Tsumoto (津本 陽), novelist, 1978 Naoki Prize winner
 * Akihiko Nakamura (中村 彰彦), novelist, 1994 Naoki Prize winner
 * Kenichi Satō (佐藤 賢一), novelist, 1999 Naoki Prize winner
 * Toh EnJoe (円城 塔), author, 2012 Akutagawa Prize, Nihon SF Taisho Award, and 2013 Seiun Award winner
 * Yuichi Kodama (児玉 裕一), a Japanese video director
 * Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正), one of the most famous musicians in pop music in Japan since the 1970s
 * Kōtarō Isaka (伊坂 幸太郎), a mystery fiction writer, Japan Booksellers Award and Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize winner
 * Hideaki Sena (瀬名 秀明), a science fiction writer and Nihon SF Taisho Award winner
 * Chūsei Sone (曽根 中生), a Japanese film director and screenwriter
 * Kenji Suzuki (鈴木 健二), an announcer of the NHK
 * Chinggeltei (1924–2013), a Mongolist, the former vice-rector of Inner Mongolia University

Mathematics, economics and business

 * Nobuhiko Kawamoto (川本 信彦), CEO of Honda Motor until 1995
 * Hirofumi Uzawa (宇沢 弘文), an economist, the father of Theoretical Economics in Japan
 * Su Buqing (蘇歩青), a Chinese mathematician and former president of Fudan University
 * Chen Jiangong (陈建功), pioneer of modern Chinese mathematics
 * Yasumasa Kanada (金田 康正), a mathematician most known for his numerous world records over the past two decades for calculating digits of π
 * Shigeo Sasaki (佐々木 重夫), a professor emeritus and mathematician who introduced the Sasaki manifold

Politics

 * Masayuki Aoyama (青山 雅幸), Japanese politician in the House of Representatives
 * Mitsuru Sakurai (桜井 充), Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan
 * Kenya Akiba (秋葉 賢也), a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party
 * Akira Koike (小池 晃), a Japanese politician of Japanese Communist Party
 * Nori Sasaki (佐々木 紀), Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan
 * Yoshihisa Inoue (井上 義久), Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party
 * Emiko Okuyama (奥山 恵美子), Mayor of Sendai, 2009–2017