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🎓 Top Research Universities in Japan

Universities and colleges in Japan ranked by the total citations their research has received (OpenAlex).

📅 2026📏 citations50 entries🇯🇵 See all of this country’s rankings →
Every dot is one entry, placed by its value (citations); the vertical bar marks each row’s median.
1
The University of Tokyo600,967 papers
51,137,339
2
Kyoto University402,133 papers
31,153,839
3
The University of Osaka329,027 papers
27,536,113
4
Tohoku University305,138 papers
19,508,960
5
Nagoya University318,278 papers
15,734,453
6
Kyushu University255,476 papers
14,881,442
7
Hokkaido University275,500 papers
12,247,183
8
Tokyo Institute of Technology180,326 papers
10,031,905
9
University of Tsukuba149,995 papers
9,647,855
10
Keio University137,845 papers
8,570,177
11
Hiroshima University128,449 papers
7,398,476
12
Kobe University104,182 papers
7,153,438
13
Chiba University99,313 papers
6,305,287
14
Okayama University103,095 papers
6,046,457
15
Tokyo Medical and Dental University61,992 papers
5,009,723
16
Kanazawa University76,401 papers
4,799,103
17
Kumamoto University64,330 papers
4,787,965
18
Niigata University65,764 papers
3,921,228
19
Osaka City University60,527 papers
3,570,606
20
Waseda University100,223 papers
3,532,404
21
Juntendo University50,612 papers
3,516,496
22
Nagasaki University58,419 papers
3,389,643
23
Tokushima University53,046 papers
3,313,089
24
Shinshu University58,111 papers
3,218,748
25
Gunma University52,472 papers
2,809,604
26
Yokohama City University38,740 papers
2,774,125
27
Tokyo University of Science65,493 papers
2,744,440
28
Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine33,730 papers
2,722,787
29
Nihon University78,299 papers
2,655,598
30
Kindai University55,890 papers
2,648,590
31
Tokyo Women's Medical University39,932 papers
2,586,346
32
Gifu University50,967 papers
2,583,657
33
Kagoshima University50,094 papers
2,438,025
34
Jichi Medical University32,952 papers
2,379,973
35
Tokyo Metropolitan University53,790 papers
2,359,080
36
Kitasato University42,381 papers
2,337,027
37
University of Toyama44,073 papers
2,319,696
38
Ehime University44,388 papers
2,281,853
39
Tokai University51,464 papers
2,158,073
40
Mie University38,959 papers
2,149,540
41
Yamaguchi University50,398 papers
2,149,313
42
Nagoya City University33,039 papers
2,111,323
43
Nara Institute of Science and Technology24,234 papers
2,018,228
44
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology44,555 papers
1,994,172
45
Osaka Prefecture University44,441 papers
1,975,299
46
Shizuoka University47,613 papers
1,970,664
47
SHOWA Medical University31,135 papers
1,961,364
48
Sapporo Medical University25,576 papers
1,960,676
49
Kurume University28,882 papers
1,953,334
50
Nippon Medical School34,837 papers
1,760,715

Highlights

Within Japan, The University of Tokyo ranks first in 2026 with 51,137,339, followed by Kyoto University (31,153,839) and The University of Osaka (27,536,113).

The University of Tokyo is 1.6 times higher than Kyoto University, the runner-up.

Across 50 entries, values run from 51,137,339 (The University of Tokyo) to 1,760,715 (Nippon Medical School), with a median of 2,791,865.

Source: OpenAlex, citations received by each institution's papers, 2026. Unit: citations.

Source: OpenAlex, citations received by each institution's papers · CC0 1.0 (OpenAlex) · fetched Oct 13, 2026 — Counts every citation to papers by authors affiliated with the institution, so large and old universities score high. It measures research impact, not teaching quality.