Japan's Elite University Admissions: The Road to UTokyo and Risan III

Japan's university entrance process is renowned for its rigor, serving as a gateway to the nation's top institutions. It begins with the University Entrance Common Test (Daigaku Nyūshi Kyōtsū Tesuto), held in mid-January, covering seven subject areas including Japanese language, mathematics, sciences, social studies, English, and more. Over 500,000 students participate annually, with average scores around 58% in popular subjects. High performers advance to individual university secondary exams in February and March, where essay-style descriptive problems test deep analytical skills, creativity, and subject mastery.

The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Japan's premier university, exemplifies this intensity. Its secondary exam on February 25-26, 2026, was dubbed one of the toughest ever, particularly in mathematics and English, demanding step-by-step reasoning and contextual interpretation. Risan III (理科三類, Faculty of Science III) stands as the pinnacle—a medicine-focused track admitting just 110 students from thousands, with a Common Test cutoff of 77% (770/1000 points) and secondary scores decisive for final admission.

Risan III AI Breakthrough: What Happened in 2026

In a landmark development, three cutting-edge large language models (LLMs)—Claude Opus 4.6 from Anthropic, Gemini 3.1 Pro from Google, and GPT-5.2 from OpenAI—aced UTokyo's 2026 secondary exam, scoring over 80% across liberal arts (文系) and science (理系) tracks. This surpassed the typical 60-70% Risan III threshold, with Claude achieving nearly 89% aggregate and perfect scores in liberal arts mathematics.

Conducted by Toshin, a leading cram school under Nagase Corporation, the test fed exam problems (text and images) to AIs without prior training or internet access post-prompt. AIs generated answers within character limits, mimicking handwritten sheets, and were graded by Toshin instructors using official rubrics. All models cleared Risan III 'with margin,' solving complex descriptive math proofs in under 20 minutes—tasks that stumped many humans amid the exam's 'historic' difficulty.

Dissecting AI Performance: Strengths in Descriptive Challenges

UTokyo's secondary exam emphasizes descriptive problems—open-ended essays requiring logical chains, historical synthesis, and scientific explanations. AIs shone here:

• Mathematics (Liberal Arts/Science): 100% for all on liberal arts math; flawless step-by-step derivations despite abstract proofs.
• Sciences/History: Near-perfect computations; history summaries in 1-2 minutes.
• Weaknesses: Visual diagram interpretation and era-specific terminology, scoring lower on figure-based questions.

Earlier in January's Common Test, GPT-5.2 Thinking hit 96.9% overall (perfect in 9/15 subjects like math, chemistry), per LifePrompt Inc. and Nikkei tests. This evolution from 66% (2024) to 97% (2026) underscores LLM reasoning leaps.

From Todai Robot to Risan III: AI's Evolution in Japanese Exams

Japan's AI-exam quest dates to the Todai Robot Project (2011-2021), backed by NICT and AIST, aiming for UTokyo admission by 2021. It reached 50-60% proficiency but faltered on descriptive depth. By 2025, OpenAI's o1 passed Risan III minima; 2026's 80%+ marks a quantum jump, fueled by multimodal LLMs trained on 20B+ academic records.

Human benchmarks: Risan III 2026 first-stage cutoff 77% Common Test; secondary pass ~60-70% aggregate. With 2026 math labeled 'inhumanly hard' (Q6 viral on X), AI's dominance highlights superhuman speed/logic but human edges in visuals/creativity.

Toshin's Rigorous Testing: Methodology and Insights

Toshin selected post-2025 LLMs for real-world relevance, inputting full problems sequentially. No fine-tuning; outputs capped at exam sheet limits. Graders awarded partial credit fairly. CEO insights: 'AIs now rival top admits, but exams must evolve to test uniquely human traits.' Trending on X, sparking debates on 'AI singularity in exams.'

MEXT Policies: Embracing AI in Japanese Higher Education

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) mandates AI literacy by 2026 across K-12/universities, per 2023 guidelines. Universities like UTokyo integrate AI tools; 46% high schoolers use GenAI. Policies stress balanced views on AI limits, prompting 'AI-proof' curricula emphasizing ethics/creativity.

Prep schools pivot: Toshin offers AI drills. Universities expand AI majors/scholarships amid talent race.

Stakeholder Perspectives: Cheers, Concerns, and Reforms

Experts hail progress: 'AI as learning partner accelerates mastery' (Toshin). Concerns: Cheating risks, equity for non-digital natives. UTokyo maintains descriptive focus for 'true ability.' X buzz: #東大AI理三 trends with 100k+ posts, mixing awe ('AI > humans?') and calls for oral/visual exams.

• Benefits: Personalized tutoring, faster feedback.
• Risks: Overreliance erodes critical thinking.
• Solutions: Hybrid assessments, AI ethics courses.

Global Ripple Effects and Japan's AI Edge

China's Gaokao AIs score 90%+; US SAT LLMs near-perfect. Japan leads in descriptive benchmarks. Implications: Global unis rethink admissions (e.g., portfolios). Japan leverages for AI R&D hubs at UTokyo/UTokyo affiliates.

Photo by Julio Lopez on Unsplash

Future Outlook: AI-Reshaped Higher Ed Careers in Japan

By 2030, MEXT eyes AI-infused curricula; unis seek AI educators/researchers. Actionable: Pursue higher ed jobs in AI pedagogy or university jobs at UTokyo. Explore higher ed career advice for AI skills boost. Rate profs via Rate My Professor.

This breakthrough signals transformative times—AI augments, humans innovate.