The predecessor of the English Language Education Council (ELEC) was the English Language Exploratory Committee, which was established in 1956 by several top business leaders and experts in the field of English language education at that time, and functioned as a research and study group. Then, in 1963, the English Language Education Council, Inc. was formally created as a non-profit organization recognized by the Ministry of Education. With financial support from the USA and Japan, ELEC has expanded its activities relating to the promotion of international understanding, English language education, and cross-cultural communication.
ELEC, which made a fresh start as a non-profit general incorporated foundation in the spring of 2012, has continued to provide successful English language courses for university students, businesspeople, and other adult learners, as well as for Japanese teachers of English in public and private schools who want to improve their English teaching skills. ELEC has also been involved in the publication of textbooks and books on English teaching as well as the production of recorded materials. ELEC is committed to providing excellent service in the fields of English language education, global business training, cross-cultural communication, and the education of globally-minded young individuals.
As a non-profit general incorporated foundation, ELEC provides a number of public interest services. These services include teacher training programs for Japanese teachers of English, and the operation of an English education portal site in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. ELEC also annually awards commendations to individuals who have created outstanding discourses related to English language education.
In addition to its non-profit activities, ELEC offers courses to a wide variety of educational institutions, businesses, municipal governments, and individuals. These courses are offered either at the client’s location or at ELEC’s office, which is centrally located in the Otemachi business district of Tokyo.
In May 2013, a Japanese language book entitled English Education in Japan and ELEC (『日本の英語教育とELEC』) was published and provides a detailed history of ELEC.