After World War II, Karahuto Medical College was closed down because the nearby island of Sakhalin was occupied by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Red Army.

The Asahikawa city government applied to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers and the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (now the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) for relocation of the medical college to Asahikawa, but they were rejected.

In 1973, Asahikawa Medical College (旭川医科大学) was established, with an educational philosophy of Improvement of health and welfare in the local community (地域医療) .

In 1996, the department of Nursing Science was founded and in 2010, the college was renamed to the Asahikawa Medical University.

[citation needed] The Asahikawa Medical University library was founded in 1978.