Japan’s top universities are making strides in global recognition, with five institutions – including the University of Tokyo – making the top 200 in the latest World University Rankings for 2025 released by Times Higher Education (THE) in October this year.

The University of Tokyo moved up one spot to No. 28, the highest ranking achieved by a Japanese university since 2015. Kyoto University maintained its position at 55th, while Tohoku University rose from 130th to 120th. Osaka University, meanwhile, climbed from 175th to 162nd.

Other Japanese universities that made the top 400 were the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagoya University, Kyushu University, Hokkaido University, and the University of Tsukuba.

Using five performance indicators (teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook), THE’s World University Rankings assessed 2,092 universities from 115 countries, 185 of which were new entries. Japan had 144 universities on the list.

In the rest of the world, the University of Oxford retained the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose to second place, replacing Stanford University, which dropped to sixth, followed by Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of Cambridge.