Japan Press Weekly
[Advanced search]
 
 
HOME
Past issues
Special issues
Books
Fact Box
Feature Articles
Mail to editor
Link
Mail magazine
 
   
 
HOME  > Past issues  > 2018 August 22 - 28  > Legal expert team formed to deal with discriminatory scoring against female applicants in med school entrance exams
> List of Past issues
Bookmark and Share
2018 August 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Legal expert team formed to deal with discriminatory scoring against female applicants in med school entrance exams

August 22, 2018

Fifty-seven lawyers in Japan formed a counsel on August 21 to deal with the issue of Tokyo Medical University's discrimination against women by lowering all female examinees' entrance exam scores.

The legal experts' team will open hotlines to give former female test-takers legal advice and will support them in claiming disclosure of their scores, entrance exam fee returns, and compensation for damages.

Lawyer Tsunoda Yukiko at a press conference in Tokyo said, "Japanese society as a whole should discuss how to eradicate discrimination against women." Lawyer Uchikoshi Sakura said, "We will provide consultation if former female examinees whose scores were lowered decide to take legal action."

A letter from a prep-school student who had unsuccessfully applied for admission to Tokyo Medical University was read out:

"I've been studying for the entrance exam to Tokyo Medical University. Last time I took the test, I passed the first-stage test (academic skills) but failed the second one. (interview, essay, debate, etc.) In a simulated test at the prep school before the real exam, I got a 'pass' evaluation, so I was at a loss as to why I failed the second-stage test. Later, on the news, I learned of the score manipulation procedure and felt betrayed thinking that I had been rejected maybe because of that. This is giving me emotional turmoil."

Her family spent another million yen for her to study at the prep school for another year, according to this woman. She now hopes that not only Tokyo Medical University but all medical schools will clarify their scoring standards and judgement criteria in second-stage exams.

Past related articles:
> Medical workers’ union protests against medical university’s discrimination against women [August 8, 2018]
> JCP urges Education Ministry to investigate medical university’s discrimination against female applicants [August 3, 2018]
> List of Past issues
 
  Copyright (c) Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. All right reserved