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Born in Japan · Nationality Japanese — Cell biology / stem cells / scientific integrity

Haruko Obokata

Science, medicine and health

Documented profile covering 6 controversies, including “2014–2016: Obokata's supervised verification experiment and independent attempts fail to reproduce STAP phenomenon” and “2014–2015: verification failure, resignation from RIKEN and disciplinary finding that dismissal would have been justified”.

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Profile No. 2035 · Updated on 13 October 2026

6Documented controversies
11Sources
0Formal charge · all time
0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

01

July 2014–2016

2014–2016: Obokata's supervised verification experiment and independent attempts fail to reproduce STAP phenomenon

No legal proceedings

RIKEN allowed Obokata to take part for several months in a verification experiment under enhanced supervision and recording. The tests failed to obtain the expected contribution of STAP cells to embryos, and subsequently published verification work did not reproduce the phenomenon.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 3

  1. [1]
    RIKENUpdate regarding the STAP cell issueOfficial statementVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    Scientific Reports / PubMed CentralInvestigation of the cellular reprogramming phenomenon referred to as stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP)Academic publicationVery high reliability
  3. [3]
    NatureFailed replications put STAP stem-cell claims to restVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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02

19 December 2014–February 2015

2014–2015: verification failure, resignation from RIKEN and disciplinary finding that dismissal would have been justified

Civil / administrative proceedings

After replication efforts ended, RIKEN accepted Obokata's resignation, effective late December 2014. Subsequent disciplinary proceedings stated that disciplinary dismissal would have been the most severe appropriate sanction had she remained employed.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 1

  1. [1]
    The Japan TimesVexed Riken halts Obokata’s bid to prove stem cell discoveryPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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03

October 2014–2 November 2015

2014–2015: Waseda identifies serious thesis problems, grants correction period, then definitively revokes doctorate

Civil / administrative proceedings

Waseda's investigation into Obokata's doctoral thesis found numerous problems, including improperly reused passages or elements and procedural deficiencies. The university granted her a conditional period to correct and resubmit her work; after that process failed, it revoked the engineering doctorate awarded in 2011 in November 2015.

Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The Japan TimesWaseda University strips Obokata of Ph.D.PressHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Retraction WatchUniversity revokes PhD of first author on retracted STAP stem cell papersPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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04

February–8 May 2014

2014: RIKEN finds two instances of misconduct in STAP papers; Obokata's appeal rejected

Investigation

After opening an investigation in February 2014 into six reported problems in the two STAP papers, RIKEN found two instances of misconduct attributable to Haruko Obokata, including manipulation of a DNA image and use of images similar to those in her thesis to represent a different result. Obokata appealed; RIKEN refused to reopen the investigation and advised her to retract the paper concerned.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 3

  1. [1]
    RIKENInterim report on the investigation of the Obokata et al. articlesOfficial documentVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    RIKENResults of deliberation on STAP cell research paper appealOfficial documentVery high reliability
  3. [3]
    The BMJInvestigation into stem cell research claims finds scientific misconduct by researcher and lack of supervision by coauthorsPressVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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05

2 July 2014

2014: both Nature papers on STAP cells retracted

No legal proceedings

The two January 2014 Nature papers, which claimed that simple stress could reprogramme adult cells to pluripotency, were retracted following the accumulation of critical errors, questions about the data and findings from RIKEN's investigation.

Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    NatureFailed replications put STAP stem-cell claims to restVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    The BMJInvestigation into stem cell research claims finds scientific misconduct by researcher and lack of supervision by coauthorsPressVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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06

26–29 December 2014

2014: second investigation concludes 'STAP cells' probably embryonic stem cells and identifies two further fabrications

Investigation

RIKEN's second investigation concluded that the cells presented as STAP cells probably originated from embryonic stem cells and identified two additional instances of data fabrication by Obokata.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The Japan Times‘STAP cells’ claimed by Obokata were likely embryonic stem cellsPressHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Science NewsContamination blamed in STAP stem cell debaclePressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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