better dissemination of information about university programs. The ministry provides information through the National Center for University Entrance Examination's on-line information access system and encourages universities, faculties, and departments to prepare brochures and video presentations about their programs. Scandal In response to allegations of bribery perpetrated by a former MEXT official, Futoshi Sano, who reportedly exchanged funds in return for a place for his son at Tokyo Medical University, an investigation into university officials began. The investigation found that priority was given to legacy applicants. In August 2018, the university was found to have manipulated entrance examination scores in order to artificially lower the number of female test-takers and male test re-takers who were able to enter the university. The investigation revealed that a computerized system that automatically deducted points from the final scores of female applicants and male re-takers had been in place since at least 2006. After the correction of the system in 2019, “the pass ratio for women was 20.2 percent, 0.4 percentage point higher than that of men. [In 2018], the successful ratio for women was only 2.9 percent, while that of men was 9 percent.” The incident made international headlines, many of which denounced the pervasive sexism of higher education in Japan, working culture in Japan, and of Japanese society in general. The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper quoted an unknown source at the university who attempted to explain the rationale for the discrimination, saying "many female students who graduate end up leaving the actual medical practice to give birth and raise children." In a subsequent government investigation of universities throughout Japan, several other medical schools, including Juntendo University and Showa University were found to have manipulated scores in a similar way. In December 2018, three additional universities - Iwate Medical University, Kanazawa Medical University, and Fukuoka University - also admitted to the manipulation of women's entrance exam scores. Universities In 2017, more than 2.89 million students were enrolled in Japan's 780 universities. At the top of the higher education structure are research institutions that provide four-year training leading to a bachelor's degree, and some offer six-year programs leading to a professional degree. There are two types of public four-year colleges: the 86 national universities (including The Open University) and the 95 local public universities, founded by prefectures and municipalities. The 597 remaining four-year colleges in 2010 were private. With a wealth of opportunities for students wishing