Founded in 1946. The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra(TSO) has been leading the orchestral world ever since in Japan, and energetically realizing activities such as giving premiere performances of many works of Japanese composers (Yoshiro Irino, Toru Takemitsu, Akira Ifukube, Ikuma Dan, Makoto Moroi etc.) and also introduced works of composers world-wide. Well over two hundred compositions have received their first performance by the Orchestra. In recognition of those achievements on those performances of contemporary music, it won the Mainichi Music Award in 1952 and the Minister of Education Award in 1954. And since 1988, TSO has challenged many big works with chorus like Mahler's Symphony No.8, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, Ives' Symphony No. 4, Britten's War Requiem, Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, Shostakovich's Symphony No.13 "Babi Yar", Bizet's Carmen, Webern's Kantata No.2, Berlioz's La amnation de Faust, Schoenberg's Die Jakobsleiter, Berlioz's Requiem, Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, Macmillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross etc.

The TSO has 100 players, including 2 concertmasters, and 2 assistant concertmasters. The TSO engages the following conductors. Kazuyoshi AKIYAMA was named Laureate Conductor of Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in September 2004, following his historic forty-year tenure as TSO's Music Director. Hubert SOUDANT has been the Music Director. Naoto OTOMO has been the Permanent Conductor. Norichika IIMORI has been the Resident Conductor. Arvid JANSONS, Masashi UEDA and Shinji TOYAMA are the permanent Honorary Conductors. Especially Arvid JANSONS changed the TSO to the worldwide orchestra. As the Composer in Residence, the TSO engages Toshio HOSOKAWA.

The TSO invited numerous internationally renowned artists at a time when such activities were rare. Conductors such as Eugen Jochum, Lorin Maazel, Arvid Jansons, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jean Fournet, Pablo Casals and Zdenek Kosler, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Jarvi, Mark Ermler, Daniel Oren, and as soloists, Joseph Szigeti, Alfred Cortot, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Wilhelm Kempff, Wilhelm Backhaus, Janos Starker, James Galway, Pinchas Zukerman, Kiri Te Kanawa, Narciso Yepes, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Gwyneth Jones, Mstilav Rostropovich, Siegfried Lorenz, Siegfried Vogel, Ludek Vele, Dawn Upshow, Wolfgang Brendel, Julian Bream, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Rado Rupu, Jean Pierre Rampal and Joerg Demus all performed with the Orchestra.

The TSO has given 69 performances in 19 countries. In 1976, the Orchestra commemorated its 30th anniversary with a tour in the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico. In 1982, it was invited to the South Korean Music Festival. Furthermore, it gave concerts in China in 1986 as a pert of the Orchestra's 40th anniversary celebrations. In 1991, the TSO raveled through Europe and the U.S.A. as a event commemorating the 45th anniversary, in which it gave successful performances for "UK Japan Festival 1991" in Royal Festival Hall, London and "U.N.Day Concert" in United Nation Conference Hall in New York. In 1993 it also visited Thailand and Singapore, and in 1994 was invited to Portugal by "EC Japan Fest". In 1990, the TSO won one of the most authoritative awards in Japan, the 14th "Ongaku-no-tomo Award", for high evaluation of their performances of contemporary works. In 1993 it's also given another remarkable award in Japan, the "Kyoto Music Award." In 1996, the TSO embarked on a two-week tour of Europe and visited over eight different countries to commemorate the Orchestra's 50th anniversary, and brought them tremendous success.

In January 1994, the Orchestra observed Mr. Akiyama's 30th anniversary since appointed as Music director and its 400th Subscription concert, with highly acclaimed Japanese premiere of Schoenberg's Opera "Moses und Aron" in concert-style. In recognition of its achievement, it received the Mainichi Art Award, which was given for the most distinguished performance of the year and the Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Award for the live recording CD of the concert. Also, TSO received the Mobil Music Award in 1996, The 29th Suntory Music Award in 1998 and The Award for Children's Culture of the Minister of Health and Welfare in 1999.

Since 1996, the TSO has been supported by The Agency for Culture Affairs of Japan, which made the new supporting system 'Art Plan 21', as a leading orchestra in Japan.

The TSO performs regularly various operas such as "TAKERU" at the New National Opera Theatre since its opening in 1997 in addition to ballet performances.

In 1998, the TSO signed a recording contract with Auvidis (French major media corporation) and are to release a few CDs to over 44 countries around the world every year. In December of 2004, the TSO is to release a new CD, Beethoven's 9th Symphony "Choral" which is a live recording of inaugural concert for the Music Director, Hubert Soudant.

In 1998, the TSO signed a semi-resident performance contract with Niigata City. Since 1999,the TSO makes Niigata subscription concerts and special concerts regularly, as well as visiting hospitals and schools.

In 2000, the TSO performed "The Little Match Girl" (Japanese premiere in concert-style) composed by H. Lachenman, who is one of the most important composer in contemporary world. The great success of this performance brought TSO Nakajima
Kenzo Music Award. In 2001,the TSO cerebrated 55th anniversary by making memorial events including a tour to Turkey and Italy, performing a concert-style opera "Kojiki" composed by T.Mayuzumi, and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.8 "Thousand Symphony". In recent years, the TSO performed Janacek's opera series; "The Cunning Little Vixen (1997, in concert-style), "Kata Kabanova" (2000, semi-stage style), and "From the House of the Death" (2003, semi-stage style), the opera "El Nino" by John Adams (2003, Japanese Premiere) was set a high valuation as …a great significant performance which made a new era of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra ", the opera "Das Verrantene Meer" by H.W. Henze (2004, in concert-style),and "Turandot with Berio finale" (2005, Japanese Premiere, concert-style).

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra agreed with the City of Kawasaki to expand its concert activities by becoming the resident orchestra of the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall which opened July 2004, and produces Kawasaki subscription and various concerts.

In 2006, TSO celebrates its 60th anniversary of the founding and is planning a memorial tour of Beijing in China and several commemorative concerts.