The University of Tokyo achieved a personal best of 26th in the Times Higher Education (THE) annual World University Rankings released Thursday, remaining the sole Japanese university to crack the top 50.

Rising up two spots from 28th last year, the university has improved its position three years in a row.

Kyoto University was the next highest-ranking Japanese university, in 61st place, falling from 55th place the previous year and returning to its 2022 score.

Japan has four universities in the top 200, as it did last year, with Tohoku University placing 103rd and the University of Osaka placing 151th — up from last year’s 120th and 162nd, respectively.

Universities in Asia, in general, performed strongly on this year’s rankings, in a year of significant shifts and changes in global higher education.

Mainland China and Hong Kong improved their positions, with six Hong Kong universities in the top 200, a record high, while China saw five universities place in the top 40 — an increase from three the previous year.

India’s institutions also saw an impressive performance, with the second-highest number of universities ranked, behind only the U.S.

Researchers of the survey noted universities in the U.S. had been declining even before the effects of President Donald Trump’s administration’s attacks on higher education show up in the data.

While the decline of the U.S. supported the improvement of universities elsewhere, rankings editor Ellie Bothwell suggested that universities in Asia may now be stalling after years of rising through the rankings.

“It is too early to say how these patterns will develop and converge, but they raise several questions in relation to the rankings,” Bothwell wrote in an accompanying analysis of the rankings. “If Asia’s leading universities have reached their peak, will that provide a cushion to counterparts in the U.S. that are vulnerable to decline?”

Oxford University has held the top spot for 10 consecutive years, and the top 10 are dominated by British and American institutions, but other countries’ universities have made gains over the years.

The Times Higher Education is a U.K.-headquartered data and insights company, which has carried out its ranking since 2004.

University placement in the rankings can have various consequences, including for the students attending. For example, in Japan, THE university placement can contribute to immigration point scores, which can help students from abroad qualify for a highly skilled visa that can lay the groundwork for expedited permanent residency.