TOKYO -- The University of Tokyo set aside the results of a faculty vote when selecting graduate school professor Yuko Fujigaki as its next president, with the selection committee focusing on encouraging organizational change and overcoming divisions in the wake of recent scandals.

"UTokyo should continue to lead academic development in Japan and the world," Fujigaki said in a news conference Tuesday. She said her selection as the institution's first female president "sends a strong message to society," adding that she hopes to see more female students and researchers.

Fujigaki became a professor in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2010, later serving in roles including vice dean of the school. She will become the university's 32nd president in April 2027, the day after current President Teruo Fujii's term ends.

Before the selection committee made its decision, faculty and administrative personnel were polled about their choices. A second round of voting covering the top three candidates was held Monday, with Vice President Takao Someya winning a majority with 1,107 votes.

Fujigaki placed second with 553. Someya, a professor at the School of Engineering and a leading researcher in elastic electronic devices, had been considered the front-runner. But the selection committee chose Fujigaki based on a "comprehensive review" of the candidates, including their policy statements and the vote results.

The twist may be related to bribery scandals that have ensnared a number of medical school faculty since last autumn. This led to the government keeping the University of Tokyo's application for accreditation as a "university for international research excellence" -- a status that comes with hefty subsidies -- under review. A government panel of experts strongly urged governance reform.

Some observers have faulted poor communication that makes it difficult to point out problems.

Fujigaki "has the strong will and ability to leverage her skill at communicating about science and technology to society to restore trust in academia," said selection committee head Hiroko Kuniya, a Tokyo University of the Arts trustee and former NHK newscaster, of the decision to tap Fujigaki.

"As the university undertakes various reforms, [Fujigaki] has the strength to overcome the barriers between the university's leadership and its departments, and the divisions that create friction," Kuniya said.

Half of the screening committee, including Kuniya, comes from outside the University of Tokyo, putting the focus on reforms to governance and the institutional culture.

The selection of Fujigaki in defiance of the faculty vote is not without recent precedent at Japan's national universities. Kyoto University in June chose Yasuto Tachikawa as its next president despite his placing third out of six candidates. The University of Tsukuba's selection committee stopped surveying faculty entirely in 2020.

Since the incorporation of national universities in 2004, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has advanced reforms to bring more outside perspectives into university operations. In a 2014 notice, it said presidents should be chosen mainly by selection committees.

But picking a candidate that was not the faculty's first choice may make it harder to persuade them to get on board with reforms.

At the University of Tokyo, "this time, unlike in the past, the candidates properly shared their policies and visions," a faculty member said. "Much of the faculty likely voted after seeing those, and the results should have been respected as much as possible. The selection committee hasn't fulfilled its responsibility to explain its decision." Fujigaki said she hopes to overcome this with "thorough communication inside and outside the school."