Tokyo Women’s Medical University was established in the 33rd year of the Meiji era (1900) by the founder Yayoi Yoshioka, as a means to improve the social well-being of women and to educate them to become doctors based on the philosophy of sincerity and compassion. Her determination succeeded in providing women with an environment where they could “study safely” surrounded only by women students, and even today, Tokyo Women’s Medical University continues to be the only medical school in Japan exclusively for women students.

Medicine, which started out to provide succor to those who suffered from obvious disease before our very eyes, gradually transformed into one which battled with disease hidden in both the bodies and minds of patients. Furthermore, it has evolved into a field which does not limit itself to caring for the sick but also reaches out to society as a whole in an attempt to promote healthy lives and good healthcare. Thus our medical school has a great responsibility in ensuring that our education, research, and practice meets the demands of such progressive medicine and is able to provide sufficient support. We also need to remind ourselves that the utmost goal of this education and research is to contribute to society, as is meant by our school philosophy “Faith and Compassion”.

We, as healthcare professionals, study medicine as an academic field, however, we must remember that we are interacting with the lives of unique human individuals, and there is no doubt that our interaction and behavior will affect each person in the course of their lives. Needless to say, good doctors are those who can recognize the true significance of the study of medicine and medical research. It is our hope to educate our students in becoming professionals who may actively put such knowledge to work in the most meaningful way.

We must strive to foster professionals who may contribute to the progress of medicine, reliable and accessible for all, and contribute in promoting the well-being of society.

Those are the goals for our institution at present. Whether it be at the undergraduate or graduate level, it is our strongest hope that our students acquire an excellent level of knowledge, practice, and approach to the field of medicine. We hope that they will continue to mature as professionals throughout their careers, and contribute greatly to society by actively demonstrating their abilities in the field of medicine and healthcare, so that they may thrive and become trusted and respected individuals.