34 Dokkyo Medical Univ professors received money from degree earners

Saturday 30th May, 07:05 AM JST

TOKYO —

Dokkyo Medical University on Friday joined the ranks of universities whose professors involved in reviewing doctoral theses were found to have received money from degree earners. The private medical university said that 34 of its professors admitted to receiving a total of about 40 million yen in cash or gift certificates from degree earners, mainly graduate students at the university, in the name of honoraria between January 2001 and March 2008.

Similar practices have already been reported by Yokohama City University, Hokkaido University and Tokyo Medical University. It was a common practice at Dokkyo Medical University for a degree earner to provide 10,000-100,000 yen to a professor in charge of reviewing his or her thesis, according to the university. The largest amount was 300,000 yen.

The university denied any unfair practices in the thesis-reviewing process, saying cash and coupons were delivered to the professors after the review work was over.

Dokkyo Medical University said it deplores such a practice, which it said has damaged the dignity of the university’s doctoral degrees. The university said that it will ban professors and degree applicants from taking or sending money or goods over the review of doctorate degree.

The Dokkyo Group of Academic Institutions, which runs the medical university, said Dokkyo Medical University launched a survey late last year on its professors after a money scandal at Yokohama City University was reported earlier that year.

The survey covered 63 professors, all of whom responded. Of them 34 acknowledged to have received honoraria from degree earners.

On May 12, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology issued instructions to all of Japan’s universities urging them to establish a strict thesis-reviewing system and secure transparency and objectivity of the process.

Dokkyo Medical University is located in the town of Mibu, Tochigi Prefecture, some 100 kilometers north of central Tokyo.

In March 2008, the then head of Yokohama City University’s School of Medicine resigned for taking money from degree earners. The next month, the city university said 16 professors and associate professors were found to have received a total of 5.7 million yen between fiscal 2004 and 2007.

In February, Tokyo Medical University said 33 of its professors had received money from degree earners between fiscal 2005 and 2007.

Most recently, in April, Hokkaido University said nine professors and associate professors were found to have received cash and coupons from doctoral degree earners in fiscal 2007 and 2008.

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11 Comments

Den Den at 08:32 AM JST - 30th May

If I have an orchard, surely I can eat a few apples?
GW at 09:51 AM JST - 30th May

to the folks in the last article like this that doubted my "anecdotal" or "isolated case" info I spewed, well ah as I said I believed it was widespread, told ya`ll so!

saying cash and coupons were delivered to the professors after the review work was over.

ha ha like that makes the slightest bit of difference, ah & Unis you should also try banning the bribes rich parents make to get their kids into these so called unis!
herefornow at 10:59 AM JST - 30th May

Pay for play in Japan is the rule, rather than the exception. Why is anyone surprised by this?
realist at 01:21 PM JST - 30th May

Is this supposed to be news? This has been common practice in Medical Institutions in this country for a very long time. You pay the professors for teaching you by ging them an "orei" Of course, it is scandalous and ridiculous, but hey - this is Nippon.
ninjaboy at 03:08 PM JST - 30th May

No news here - just a normal everyday practice in all Japanese universities and not just for those graduating in medicine.

And you wonder why no-one wants to go to a Japanese hospital with people like this working there...
kirakira25 at 04:35 PM JST - 30th May

The university said that it will ban professors and degree applicants from taking or sending money or goods over the review of doctorate degree

But over anything else is OK??!
proudathiest at 05:35 PM JST - 30th May

Den Den > it's always the way it goes.
wanderlust at 05:43 PM JST - 30th May

The best degrees money can buy! Just like the politicians and the police!
medievaltimes at 12:16 AM JST - 31st May

Realist pretty much hit it on the head.

To people outside of Japan or very new to Japan, this is shocking news. For Japanese people, this is common knowledge.
buddha4brains at 09:25 AM JST - 31st May

It is not universally practised all over Japan. It is fading out as older doctors and profs retire and new ethical standards are swept in with the generation. That is not to say it should not change faster, only that pay to play is less the norm than is was say 15 years ago - then it wasn't news or scandalous, now it is.
amerijap at 09:48 AM JST - 31st May

Hmmmmmm. Seems like JP students are well-heeled compared to the students in the US.