Crime & Courts

Former Head of Tokyo Women’s Medical University Arrested; Accused of Distributing ¥120 Million as Fraudulent Fees

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:21 JST, January 13, 2025

The Metropolitan Police Department on Monday arrested Kinuko Iwamoto, former chancellor of Tokyo Women’s Medical University, on suspicion of illicitly having the university disburse about ¥120 million in connection with the construction of new campus buildings, investigative sources said.

The MPD suspects that Iwamoto, from Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, diverted some of this money for her personal use. It intends to continue to investigate to uncover the full extent of the case.

Based in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, the university has been hit by a series of scandals. Past allegations have included irregular salary payments to a staffer and the illicit receipt of donations in exchange for preferential treatment in the recommendation-based admission of students linked to the alumni association.

From a website of Tokyo Women’s Medical University
Kinuko Iwamoto

According to the sources, Iwamoto is suspected of breach of trust for having the school disburse about ¥120 million between July 2018 and February 2020 as payment to a 68-year-old male first-class registered architect. The money was claimed to represent consulting fees related to the construction of two new buildings on the university’s Kawadacho Campus in Shinjuku Ward.

However, the architect did not perform any consulting services for the university.

In March last year, the MPD simultaneously searched more than 10 locations, including the university’s headquarters and Iwamoto’s residence, over allegations that a former employee close to Iwamoto had fraudulently received about ¥20 million in salary from the Shiseikai alumni association. This is suspected to have been an aggravated breach of trust under the Law on General Incorporated Associations and General Incorporated Foundations.

The police examined the seized materials and questioned related people to prepare for the arrest.

A third-party panel was set up by the university after the MPD’s searches. It released a report in August last year on its investigation, citing the possibility that university funds were illegally diverted to Iwamoto’s side.

Iwamoto, who was criticized in the report for having a “strong obsession with money,” was dismissed from all positions at the university in the same month.