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The world today has arrived at a time of major change and mutual dependency. Japan's role in the international community is much greater than ever before. We need the ability to express our own ideas in English freely and with cross-cultural understanding.
In the 1950s, scholars and intellectuals in Japan and the USA,
such as Dr. Yasaka Takagi, Mr. Shigeharu Matsumoto, Prof. Edwin
O.Reischauer, and Mr. John D. Rockefeller III, recognized the importance
of English education for communication and international understanding.
In 1956, The English Language Exploratory Committee was established
under the Chairmanship of Mr. Eikichi Araki, the Governor of the
Bank of Japan. The Committee initiated a training program for English
teachers in 1957, and also started to compile several English textbooks.
The English Language Education Council, Inc. (ELEC) was created
in 1963 as a non-profit organization recognized by the Ministry
of Education. With financial support from the USA and Japan,
ELEC expanded its activities related to internationalunderstanding.
ELEC has continued to provide successful English courses for university students
and other adult learners, as well as for teachers. ELEC has also been involved
in the publication of textbooks and books on English teaching, the production
of recorded materials.
ELEC will keep moving forward in the future, with a wide range of activities
related to English teaching, toward the objective of full international understanding
and cross-cultural communication. |
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