St. Mary's International School is a private

international school International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...

for boys located in the

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...

ward of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. The school consists of an elementary, middle, and high school, all located in the

campus. The school’s primary language of instruction is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, and it also offers the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

program. Originally established to serve the children of foreign residents in Tokyo with a Western-style, English-language curriculum, over time it has welcomed a growing number of Japanese students seeking international education. Though rooted in teaching of Catholic tradition, the school accepts students of all faiths and backgrounds. Religious education is offered, and Catholic students may attend

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, though participation is voluntary.About St. Mary’s – St. Mary’s International School
Retrieved 2025-05-31.

History

St. Mary's International School was founded in 1954 by the

Brothers of Christian Instruction The Brothers of Christian Instruction (, F.I.C.P.''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1499.), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a Catholic educational organization founded in 1819 by Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de la Mennais for the instruct ...

, a Catholic religious teaching order established in France in 1819 by Jean-Marie de La Mennais and .Brothers of Christian Instruction – Japan
LaMennais.org. Retrieved 2025-05-30. Originally located in current-day

Takanawa is a neighborhood in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Economy Sony and Hondurentas (a privately-held rental company from Honduras) operates in Takanawa. Education Minato City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. T ...

district of Minato City, near the historic

Sengaku-ji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Sōtō school of Japanese Zen located in the Takanawa neighborhood of Minato-ku, near Sengakuji Station and Shinagawa Station, Tokyo, Japan. It was one of the three major Sōtō temples in Edo during th ...

temple, the school moved to its current Setagaya campus in 1971.About Us – St. Mary’s International School
Retrieved 2025-05-31. In 2014, multiple allegations of historical sexual abuse emerged against members of the school's religious staff. Brother Lawrence Lambert, who, in a handwritten letter obtained by victims, confessed to raping a student in the 1960s.Scott, Simon (2014-10-27).
St. Mary's school in Tokyo to investigate child sex abuse after teacher's rape confession
. ''The Japan Times''. Retrieved 2016-04-21. Other victims came forward with accusations against Brother Benoit Lessard, who allegedly abused students on school-organized trips during the 1970s.St. Mary's International School in Tokyo rocked by sexual abuse claims
. ''The Japan Times''. 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2016-04-21. One of the victims, David McNeill, produced a documentary chronicling his and others’ experiences.Kageyama, Yuri (2016-04-20).
Japan Catholic school sex-abuse victims demand to be heard
. ''Associated Press''. Retrieved 2016-04-21. In response, the school launched an internal investigation and contacted Tokyo police and the Catholic Archdiocese. The case received renewed media attention in 2019 when international reports noticed silencing of abuse victims in Japan’s Catholic institutions.
. ''Voice of America''. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2025-02-19.

Accreditation

St. Mary's is accredited by the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 2003. It has over 1,500 institutional members consisting of over 800 schools and 600 colleges/universities, located in ...

and the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

. It is a member of the

East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools The East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) is an organization of 158 member schools in East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special adm ...

and the

Japan Council of International Schools The Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS) is an association of international schools in Japan. All member schools provide education in English. The smallest JCIS member school has fewer than 100 students and the largest has more than 1,500. ...

Campus

The campus features a large, lighted indoor swimming pool with a balcony for visiting audiences, an indoor multi-athletic court with a contractable stage + seats, a large multi purpose hall which converts into an auditorium, number of tennis courts, two outdoor basketball courts, a large soccer field with appropriate synthetic grass, a mass of gardened land, and numbers of other athletic facilities. The three-story classroom buildings hold classes for grades 1 through 12, plus a readiness program and programs for students using English as a second language (ESL). Additionally, the school features two large libraries for study, one of them featuring an outdoor 'rooftop' garden, and has computer access throughout all if its classrooms. A chapel and on-site residency for the brothers are also available. The school is served by the Futako-Tamagawa Station (

Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line The is a major commuter line operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation and connecting south-western suburbs of Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture, with its western terminus of , to a major railway junction of western do ...

) and Kami-noge Station (

Tōkyū Ōimachi Line The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

) train stations. A fleet of 11 buses owned by the school moves students throughout Tokyo.

Seisen International School Seisen International School (SIS) is an all-girls Catholic school located in Setagaya, in Tokyo, Japan. Students and faculty from over sixty countries are represented at Seisen, with English being the main language of instruction. It offers the I ...

, a Catholic girls' school, also allows their students to ride on St. Mary's school bus system.

Athletics

St. Mary's encourages its students to join sports teams. The teams' name is the Titans, except the swim team (which also includes students from

), which is known as the Buccaneers. The St. Mary's teams compete against other KPASSP schools and have won KPASSP titles, and compete against other international schools.

High School Extra-Curricular Athletic Programs

''Fall'' * Cross Country *

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Intramurals Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...

Table Tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

3-on-3 Basketball 3x3 basketball (stylized as ''ƐX3'', pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. This basketball game format is currently being promoted and structured by FIBA, ...

Indoor Soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...

, Volleyball *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

''Winter'' *

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

''Spring'' *

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

* Swimming

Recent Athletic Highlights

*2018 Far East Individual and Duals Co-Champions, Wrestling *2017 Far East Individual and Duals Champions, Wrestling *2016 Far East Individual and Duals Champions, Wrestling *2016 Kanto Individual Champions, Wrestling *2016 Kanto League Champions, Wrestling *2016 Kanto League Champions, Basketball *2016 Far East Individual Champions, Cross Country *2015 Far East Individual Champions, Wrestling *2014 Far East Individual Champions, Wrestling *2013 Kanto Tournament Champions, Soccer *2012 Kanto League Champions, Soccer *2012 Far East Champions, Wrestling *2011 Kanto League Champions, Soccer *2011 Far East Champions, Wrestling *2011 Kanto League Champions, Wrestling *2011 Guam Invitational Champions, Cross Country *2011 Kanto League Champions, Cross Country *2011 Far East Champions, Tennis *2011 Kanto League, Kanto Tournament Champion, Tennis *2010 Kanto League, Kanto Tournament Champions, Baseball * 2010 Kanto League, Kanto Tournament, Hawaii Moanalua Thanksgiving Tournament Champions, Varsity Soccer *2009 Kanto League, Kanto Tournament, Okinawa Spring Fling Tournament Champions, Baseball *2009 Far East Boys Class AA Champion, Varsity Basketball *2009 Kanto co-league champion, JV Basketball *2009 Kanto tournament champion, Varsity Soccer *2009 Kanto league and tournament champion, JV Soccer *2009 Kanto co-league champions; CAJ/SMIS tournament champ, Wrestling

Opponents

St. Mary's' main rival is

Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ), established in 1950, is a private Christianity, Christian school in the city of Higashikurume, Tokyo, Japan that provides a Christian Education in the United States, American-style education in English language, English. CAJ has over 460 s ...

. Many athletic games have been played by the two schools, and both teams strive to beat each other. Other regional rivals include

American School in Japan The American School in Japan (ASIJ; ) is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The school consists of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located on the Chōfu campus. There ...

Nile C. Kinnick High School Nile C. Kinnick High School is a U.S. military-operated school that originally opened in Yokohama, Japan in 1946 during the occupation after World War II. The school later moved to United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, US Fleet Activities Yok ...

Yokota High School Yokota High School (YHS) is a high school located on Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is part of the Department of Defense Education Activity. It is in the Yokota Air Base South area, and in the municipality of Fussa. History Yokota High School ...

The British School in Tokyo The British School in Tokyo, commonly known as BST, is an international private school in central Tokyo with over 1,300 students from over 65 nationalities. BST takes students aged 3–18 that have been rated in all eight areas examined by the ...

and

Yokohama international school is a co-educational international school located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The school consists of a pre-school (Early Learning Centre), a kindergarten/ elementary school (grades K-5), a middle school (6-8) and a high school (9-12), covering ...

Fine Arts

St. Mary's Fine Arts include: *Vocal Music *Instrumental Music *2-D Art *3-D Art *Photography *Architecture *BrainBowl Team *Robotics Team *Debate Team *Speech Team *Math Contest Team *Fall Play *Musical Students can earn

credit in some courses. The vocal music program features groups such as the Men's

Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, Varsity Ensemble and International Show Choir. These award-winning choirs have performed in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, and many other countries. St. Mary's high schoolers may also take part in the Tokyo Area Honor Choir amongst other KPASSP schools, if they are accepted through auditioning. The instrumental music program features groups such as the

Concert Band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...

Jazz Band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

, and the Wind Ensemble.

collaborates with St. Mary's for the

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

used in the Musical. Similarly to the choir, high schoolers may take part in the Tokyo Area Honor Band amongst other KPASSP schools, if they are accepted through auditioning. 2-D Art, 3-D Art, and Architecture courses are also provided at the school, with students taking the

being able to take these classes as credited courses. Notable artwork usually gets into the Tokyo Artscape, an annual exhibit collaborated on by some KPASSP schools, and some other Tokyo Area schools. The BrainBowl Team competes in the annual BrainBowl tournament, where SMIS has proven to be a powerhouse, capturing the title 32 times out of the 41 championships. The last title it won was in 2018, the most recent tournament, with a 150-point lead ahead of its next school. The Debate Team at St. Mary's is also particularly strong, and competes against

The American School in Japan The American School in Japan (ASIJ; ) is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The school consists of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located on the Chōfu campus. There i ...

, the International School of the Sacred Heart, and Yokota High School. The team has won the annual Kanto Plains Debate Tournament three years in a row, from 2010 to 2012. It also won in 2021, with all three All-Stars being from St. Mary's. The Speech Team at SMIS is also a strong team, and they compete in the annual Speech Contest amongst other KPASSP schools. In the most recent tournament, held at Seisen in Fall 2012, the SMIS Speech Team won second place. Each year, the Math Contest team, composed of students skilled at math, take part in the Math Field Day, a tournament for KPASSP students. St. Mary's tends to do particularly well there too, with usually at least 1 member of the team in the Top 5 at every grade level. The fall showcases the Fall Play, where selected students perform and help to make it an annual success, while every year in the spring, selected students perform and help in the Musical. The fall also showcases the Varsity Robotics Team which competes internationally and nationally in competitive Robotics.

Activities

Activities at St. Mary's include a student newspaper, The Diplomat;"The St. Mary's International School Diplomat"
The Diplomat. July 9, 2104 a

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

troop, Troop 15; the Yearbook; a television club; the Fall Play; a Musical; and others.

St. Mary's Campus Reconstruction

St. Mary's has completed all phases of a complete campus reconstruction, the St. Mary's Campus Reconstruction project. The main academic and administrative center has opened on the site of the former sports field, in March 2009. Construction of the new pool/cafeteria and gym/art/music buildings was completed in August 2010. The Multi-Purpose Room and Parking Lot were completed in March 2011.

Notable alumni

Antoine Revoy Antoine Revoy (born 1977, Paris, France) is a French author and illustrator. He is the creator of the horror story graphic novels ANIMUS (graphic novel), ''ANIMUS'' (originally titled ''The Playground'') published by First Second Books, and ''The ...

Chris Peppler Christopher Daniel Peppler (born October 22, 1957, in Tokyo, Japan), simply known as , is a Japanese-American radio personality. Peppler is a navigator for J-Wave's ''Tokio Hot 100'' and the host of ''Tokyo Eye 2020''. Personal life Peppler was ...

Don Nomura is a sports agent who primarily represents Japanese baseball players. He is best known for convincing Nippon Professional Baseball players Hideo Nomo and Alfonso Soriano to retire from the league to sign with Major League Baseball in the 1990s, ...

* John Ken Nuzzo *

Derrek Lee Derrek Leon Lee (born September 6, 1975), nicknamed "D-Lee", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Lee played with the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates ...

* Verbal *

Taku Takahashi is a Japanese DJ and record producer who debuted in 1997 as a producer of the hip hop group M-Flo. The group rose to prominence in the early 2000s, with hit singles such as "How You Like Me Now?" and "Come Again." Takahashi was also a member of ...

* Charles Tsunashima *

Keitaro Harada Keitaro Harada (, born February 26, 1985) is a Japanese conductor and music and artistic director of Savannah Philharmonic, Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Partner for the Aichi Cha ...

* Daisuke Murakami *Nam Do-hyon, member of X1

References

External links

St. Mary's International School official websiteProfile
at the

Good Schools Guide International ''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and private. The guide's contributors are predominantly parents, but include researchers and former headteachers. It uses a conversational tone. Selection of schools is mad ...

SMIS photos on Darksea StudiosSMIS photos on Sudo Productions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's International School Christianity in Tokyo International schools in Tokyo Private schools in Tokyo International Baccalaureate schools in Japan Boys' schools in Japan Catholic schools in Japan Educational institutions established in 1954 Elementary schools in Japan 1954 establishments in Japan Setagaya