1877
The Faculty of Science originated from the Institute of Western Learning of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Tokyo-Kaisei School and the Tokyo-Igakko (Tokyo Medical School) were merged to form the University of Tokyo.
The College of Science was established comprising eight departments: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry (theoretical chemistry, applied chemistry), Biology (zoology, botany), Astrology, Engineering (mechanical engineering, civil engineering), Geology, and Metallurgy. The Koishikawa Botanical Garden became an affiliated facility of the College of Science, the University of Tokyo.
1886
The name of the University of Tokyo changed to Teikoku Daigaku (Imperial University) in accordance with the Imperial Ordinance No. 3.
The College of Science was comprised of seven departments: Mathematics, Astrology, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, and Geology. The Misaki Marine Biological Station was established.
1897
Teikoku Daigaku (Imperial University) was renamed to Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku (Tokyo Imperial University) in accordance with the Imperial Ordinance No. 208.
The Misaki Marine Biological Station was moved to the Koajiro Castle site location.
1902
The Nikko Botanical Garden was established.
1907
The Department of Geology was divided into two Departments: Geology and Mineralogy.
1919
The Imperial Ordinance No. 13 was issued under which the College of Science became the Faculty of Science; the Department of Geography was established; the Department of Astrology was renamed the Department of Astronomy; and the Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics were merged to form the Department of Physics.
1923
The Department of Seismology was established within the Faculty of Science.
Prof. Kakichi Mitsukuri,
(1898-1904, First Director of the Misaki Marine Biological Station, an adjunct to the Faculty)
Marine Biological Station founded at Irifune,
Misaki Town (circa 1893)
1939
The Department of Anthropology was established.
1941
The Department of Seismology was expanded to create a separate Department of Geophysics, bringing the total number of departments to 11.
1947
The Faculty of Science was renamed to the Faculty of Science, the University of Tokyo.
1949
The National School Establishment Act was promulgated, under which the Faculty of Science at the University of Tokyo was re-organized, comprising five departments: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Sciences.
1958
The Department of Biochemistry was established. The Geophysical Observatory was established.
1967
As part of the expansion and reorganization of the Department of Physics, courses in Physics, Astronomy, and Geophysics became the Departments of Physics, Astronomy, and Geophysics, respectively.
1970
The Information Science Laboratory was established.
1974
The High Energy Physics Laboratory was established.
1975
The Department of Information Science was established. (The Information Science Laboratory was abolished.)
1976
The Center for Spectrochemistry was established.
1977
The Laboratory of International Collaboration on Elementary Particle Physics was established with a term of seven years, converted from the High Energy Physics Laboratory.
1978
The Meson Science Laboratory was established with a term of ten years.
The Laboratory for Earthquake Chemistry was established.
1984
The International Center for Elementary Particle Physics (ICEPP) was established with a term of ten years.
(The Laboratory of International Collaboration on Elementary Particle Physics (LICEPP) was abolished due to the expiry of its term.)
1984
The Meson Science Center was established with a term of ten years.
(The Meson Science Laboratory was abolished due to the expiry of its term.)
The Institute of Astronomy was established.
The main entrance of the main building completed in 1936
(Misaki Marine Biological Station adjunct to the Faculty)
The old entrance of East Chemistry Building of the Faculty of Science
Chemistry classroom plates of the Faculty of Science
1990
The Department of Geophysics and the adjunct Geophysics Research Laboratory were reorganized to form the Department of Earth and Planetary Physics.
The Center for Spectrochemistry was reorganized as the Research Center for Spectrochemistry with a term of ten years.
1992
In order to emphasize postgraduate education in the sciences, seven graduate departments (Chemistry, Biochemistry, Zoology, Botany, Anthropology, Geology, and Mineralogy) were established in the School of Science.
The Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences was independently established for graduate courses in mathematics.
1993
Five additional graduate departments (Information Science, Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Physics, and Geography) were established, creating a total of 12 graduate departments in the School of Science.
1994
The new International Center for Elementary Particle Physics (ICEPP) at the University of Tokyo was established. (The old ICEPP was abolished due to the expiry of its term.)
1995
The graduate departments of Zoology, Botany, and Anthropology were integrated to form the Graduate Department of Biological Sciences.
1997
The Center for Nuclear Study was established as an adjunct to the Graduate School of Science.
(The Meson Science Center was abolished due to the expiry of its term.)
1998
The Misaki Marine Biological Station, the Botanical Gardens, the Geochemical Research Center, the Research Center for Spectrochemistry, and Institute of Astronomy, adjuncts to the Faculty of Science, were transferred to the Graduate School of Science to become its adjunct facilities.
The School of Science West Wing Building was completed.
Click here for the booklet prepared at that time.
1999
Research Center for the Early Universe was established.
2000
Four graduate departments (Earth and Planetary Physics, Geology, Mineralogy, and Geography) were reorganized into the Graduate Department of Earth and Planetary Science.
2001
The Postgraduate Department of Information Science was transferred to the Department of Computer Science, the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology.
The term of the Research Center for Spectrochemistry was extended.
The Undergraduate Program for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology was launched with a term of five years.
2004
The University of Tokyo was incorporated as a national university corporation.
The term of the International Center for Elementary Particle Physics, the University of Tokyo was extended.
2005
The Faculty of Science Center Building 1 Central Wing was completed.
The Center for Ultrafast Intense Laser Science was established.
The Actuary and Statistics Program was launched.
2006
The Department of Earth Sciences was reorganized into the Department of Earth and Planetary Environmental Science.
2007
The Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology was established.
2008
The Molecular Genetics Research Laboratory, an affiliated facility of the University of Tokyo, was transferred to the Graduate School of Science to become its adjunct facility.
2014
The Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry and the Department of Biological Sciences were integrated to form the new Department of Biological Sciences.
Aerial photograph of Misaki Marine Biological Station
Experiment of gas-to-solid condensation in circumstellar environments using a vacuum infrared oven
exBldg1Northwestern side of the former Faculty of Science Building 1 before demolition
his_img13Science Gallery
(1st floor, Center Wing, School of Science Building 1)