Archives West Finding Aid

Tokyo International University is an internationally-focused university located in Kawagoe City in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It was established in 1965 as the International College of Commerce (ICC, also known as the International College of Commerce and Economics, ICCE) by Taizo Kaneko. The same year, Kaneko sent a request to American universities proposing an exchange partnership. Willamette University President G. Herbert Smith accepted his offer and the exchange program began.

During the 1980s, the International College of Commerce exchange program expanded to partner with the University of Washington, Southern Oregon State College, University of Arizona, Shanxi University, and Bath University. A masters program in International Relations and doctoral program in Business and Commerce were established in 1984 and 1988 respectively. In 1986 the name of the College was changed to Tokyo International University (TIU), and the exchange program continued to expand into Germany, South Korea, Australia, and Sweden. As the partnership with Willamette University also expanded, the Tokyo International University of America (TIUA) opened in 1989, with a location adjacent to Willamette University. In this program, students spend one year on the TIUA and Willamette campuses immersed in American society and the English language. Approximately 100 TIU students participate in the program each year.