In 2001, JLRC “Japanese Language Research Center” was established not for the purpose of business grandeur but mainly as a venue for Japanese Language Study and Research. It was started by a student of the University of the Philippines who studied in Japan as an exchange student and developed the love for teaching Japanese language after her return to the Philippines. She started JLRC at her small living area space in East Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila, as a sole proprietor business with small number of vigorous and creative staff. She augmented the very minimal capital with sheer guts, peculiar ideas and love for the Japanese Language.

She has been teaching Nihongo part-time for years and realized that a lot of learners wants to study Japanese and pass the Proficiency Exam in a shorter time frame, in a very limited budget and not much effort exerted in the class. Those days it was a great challenge for the very few Japanese Language teachers to effectively teach Japanese as the learning materials available were very limited. There was no other recourse but to create teaching materials in order to augment the sparse learning resources available. On top of this, Japanese companies offering free Japanese training to their employees were also requesting a shorter training duration to save on the training cost. Not to mention, the employees were already having a hard time struggling with their daily workloads so additional effort needed for the Japanese training courses was indeed very challenging.

To address this dilemma, the JLRC’s motto of “LESS TIME, LESS COST and LESS EFFORT” was initiated.

A new training module was designed and new set of materials were developed. The new module design has to accommodate the shortened training hours without sacrificing the overall quality of the class. While, the training materials were adjusted to match the shortened module at the same time simplify even the most complex topics so that the students can easily understand. Lastly, the module content and materials were adjusted to match the ever changing content of the Japanese Proficiency Exam.

In 2008, JLRC became a Corporation as its service volume grew. Despite this, JLRC had been focused mainly on research and development and the management had very minimal business acumen. Throughout the years, JLRC has been through so many ups and downs. One can say that JLRC has gone through a tough roller coaster ride reaching the very pinnacle of success in its prime years and going through the very brink of bankruptcy in its worst years. If there’s a silver lining to this experience, it’s that nothing is scary anymore and it brought forth a strong determination for the company to move forward, try harder and become better. It is notable though that those trying years also helped in producing the countless quality materials, high caliber instructors and effective training designs which are utilized as the solid base of its current operation. It is indeed true that turbulent times create beautiful masterpieces.

10 years since she started the company, JLRC transformed into a more stable and profitable business venture with capable employees. There was a great adjustment done in balancing financial stability with technical creativity.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and affected all businesses worldwide. JLRC, along with the majority of industries was forced to halt operations. After a month of business hiatus, JLRC opted to shift its operations online, with the thought “Opportunities, wherever you are”.

At the moment, the extent of JLRC’s services has reached not only provinces near Metro Manila but all over the Philippines, Japan and other countries as well. JLRC’s challenge for pursuing ” Less Time, Less Cost, Less Effort” in learning Japanese for the sake of Japanese learners will never cease, always retaining the essence and spirit of its foundation in mind.