The Establishment of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo

Abstract

For a comprehensive description of the history of nuclear energy development, it is necessary to investigate nuclear energy education programs in universities, which are human resource development institutions. This paper focuses on the Department of Nuclear Engineering established in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and presents an analysis as to why and how the department was established. Moreover, an examination as to whether the goals of establishing the department were achieved in its early years is presented. The University of Tokyo is known to have developed one of the most extensive educational systems; however, it lagged behind other universities in terms of nuclear energy-related activities. The establishment of the department was led by the Ministry of Education in response to the demands for educational reform from the industry and for the development of nuclear energy policies. Various factors and internal circumstances of the university delayed its establishment. The proposed educational system changed from a research institute, through an integrated graduate education system, to a new department of engineering. Accordingly, the purpose of the organization also changed. The objective of establishing the department to train scientists and engineers in nuclear energy was achieved; however, it resulted in the fragmentation of the discipline.