We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We uniquely combine the UK’s deep expertise in arts and culture, education and the English language, our global presence and relationships in over 100 countries, our unparalleled access to young people and influencers and our creative sparkle.
 
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.
 

We have been working in Japan since 1953. Every year we connect with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people in Japan through our cultural programmes. 

The focus of our work is;

- providing English teaching using modern communicative methods and an efficient IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exams service. 

- supporting people who want to study in the UK. 

We also work in English education, Higher education and Arts to encourage international partnerships.

JAPAN

Organisation name: British Council
Year of foundation: 1953
Office: 1-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0825
Director: Jim Booth OBE

GLOBAL

Organisation name: British Council
Year of foundation: 1934
Office: London, UK
Chief Executive: Scott McDonald

We are:

  • registered charity no 209131 (England and Wales) and SC037733 (Scotland)
  • an executive non-departmental public body. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is our sponsoring department
  • a public corporation.

Our Patron is His Majesty King Charles III. Previously, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II held this position until her passing in September 2022. His Majesty served as our Vice Patron from 1984 until his Accession.

Our Tokyo centre was established in 1953 and you can find out more about it’s history and values.

For more information and facts worldwide visit the British Council website and our annual reports.

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