A national women's university in Tokyo will start accepting students in April 2020 who were assigned male at birth but identify as female.

The education ministry said it believes Ochanomizu University will become Japan's first women's university to accept transgender students. Ochanomizu, founded in 1875, was also the country's first institution of higher education for women.

Ochanomizu officials said Monday they will hold a news conference soon to explain the details of the admissions changes, including how the university will confirm whether an applicant is transgender. The school issued a statement saying it intends to accept "transgender students who hope to study at a women's university based on their gender identity."