TWCU was established by Nitobe Inazō (1862–1933), an author, diplomat and educator, who was appointed as the first president in 1918.

[3] In the 1880s, while Nitobe was a student at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, he became a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

The Quaker philosophy gave him a strong faith that Japanese women should be provided educational opportunities.

The original TWCU campus in Iogi-mura, Toyotama-gun, to which the university moved in 1924,[3] was built in the 1920s and is very significant architecturally.

It was designed by Antonin Raymond who came to Tokyo with Frank Lloyd Wright to build the famous Imperial Hotel.

In addition to TWCU's beautiful garden, the campus includes open spaces and a small forest behind the main building.

There is a wooden deck and terraces in the building and on a clear day, Mount Fuji and Tokyo Tower are visible from the top floor.

Tokyo Woman's Christian University provides a very high standard of English-language education.

Tokyo Woman's Christian University is also one of the regular hosts of the International Theater Company London which comes from London to perform Shakespearean plays in English, directed by MBE Paul Stebbings and brought to Japan by Paula Berwanger.

It comes from Paul’s famous letter to the Philippians 4:8: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

This symbol appears on many kinds of things including stationery sold in the TWCU book store.