Cheers echoed across the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus Tuesday as students and parents crowded in front of a billboard listing the identification numbers of those who passed the prestigious institution's entrance exam.
Of the 9,877 hopefuls, 3,007 passed the entrance exam for 2009. A further 100 will gain entry following a second series of exams on March 13, with results to be announced in the coming weeks, the school said.
Kizuku Kanaya, 18, was one of the lucky ones.
"I'd like to dedicate myself to both my studies and gaining some social experience through working part time," Kanaya, who came from Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, said.
Founded by the Meiji government in 1877, the University of Tokyo is one of the largest and most competitive in Japan.
