A Japanese medical university's alleged systematic discrimination against female applicants has sparked outrage across Japan and is being criticized by Cabinet officials.
The scandal surfaced after the Yomiuri newspaper reported Thursday that Tokyo Medical University has been slashing female applicants' entrance exam scores for years to keep female student population low because women tend to quit as doctors after starting families.
Gender Equality Minister Seiko Noda says the allegation is extremely serious and unacceptable. Labor Minister Katsunobu Kato says an environment more supportive of women pursuing medical profession is needed.
In this Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, photo, Tokyo Medical University stands in Tokyo. The Japanese medical university’s alleged systematic deduction of entrance exam scores only from female applicants has sparked outrage across Japan and invited criticisms from Cabinet officials. The scandal surfaced after the Yomiuri newspaper reported Thursday that Tokyo Medical University has been slashing female applicants’ entrance exam scores for years to keep female student population low, on grounds they tend to quit as doctors after starting families, causing staffing shortages. (Ayaka AizawaKyodo News via AP)
The school is investigating. It is already facing a separate scandal involving an inappropriate admission of a top education bureaucrat's son.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has for now denied the A's request to trademark the names “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics.”
The club, which intends to move to Nevada in 2028, has three months from when the refusals were issued Dec. 29 to ask for an extension to file a new application within a six-month period.
The A's were told the nickname “Athletics” was too generic and could be confused with other activities even if associated with Las Vegas.
That, however, has been the club's nickname since the Philadelphia Athletics began playing in 1901. The A's kept the nickname when they moved to Kansas City in 1955 and Oakland in 1968.
The Patent and Trademark Office denied the NHL's Utah team to use the nickname “Yetis” on Jan. 9 because of potential confusion with companies such as Yeti Coolers. Utah, which moved from the Phoenix area in 2024, now uses the nickname “Mammoth.”
The A's relocated to West Sacramento, California, last year to play the first of three planned seasons in the city's Triple-A ballpark. The team is going solely by “Athletics” while playing in the Northern California city.
A $2 billion, 33,000-capacity stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is under construction. Club officials told the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Dec. 4 that the ballpark is on schedule to open in time for the 2028 season.
Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the ballpark, and the A’s have said they will cover the remaining expenses. Owner John Fisher has been seeking investors to assist in the funding.
In preparing for the move to Las Vegas, the A's have signed some notable contracts. The most recent was an $86 million, seven-year deal for left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, the richest in team history. Soderstrom signed his contract Dec. 30 at the A's Experience Center in Las Vegas.
The A's acquired second baseman Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets on Dec. 22.
Going back to last offseason, the A's also reached agreements on a $60 million, five-year contract with designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker and a $65.5 million, seven-year deal with outfielder Lawrence Butler. Manager Mark Kotsay signed an extension that takes him through 2028 with a club option for 2029.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
FILE - Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom sprints towards first after hitting an RBI double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sept. 23, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall, File)
