ETJ is a free association for English teachers in Japan that encourages the exchange of information and teaching ideas, provides opportunities for training and professional development, and brings teachers together into a community.

 

ETJ is a grass-roots organization for teachers around Japan that is dependent on a lot of individual teachers putting in a little time in many different ways. In fact, it is primarily aimed at the classroom teacher who is only able or prepared to put a limited amount of time into ETJ.

 

ETJ was originally set up by David Paul in 1999 in order to provide a general association for the busy classroom teacher, and it is now administered and sponsored by Language Teaching Professionals. Oxford University Press is also a general sponsor.

 

Most ETJ projects are run independently by volunteers. This applies to everything from regional groups to publications. In effect, ETJ is a confederation of different groups that forma a friendly community and, when necessary, come together to establish the minimum necessary general policies that all groups follow.