Two more Japanese medical schools admit discriminating against women

Sexism row deepens as one university claims women ‘mature faster’ and male applicants need extra help

Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Wed 12 Dec 2018 03.36 GMT

A sexism row engulfing Japan’s medical schools has deepened after two more universities admitted discriminating against female applicants, months after it was revealed that Tokyo Medical University had manipulated exam scores to favour male candidates.

Juntendo University and Kitasato University, both in Tokyo, said this week that they had set a lower pass mark for men than for women in order to secure a sufficient number male graduates to enter the medical profession.

“Women mature faster mentally than men, and their communication ability is also higher by the time they take the university exam,” Hiroyuki Daida, dean of Juntendo’s medical school, told reporters, according to the Asahi newspaper. “In some ways, this was a measure to help male applicants.”

It also said that its dormitory for women was unable to accommodate a higher number of students. A third-party committee said the university’s explanation was unacceptable.

Kitasato university admitted on its website that it had also prioritised male candidates.

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