Benesse
| Public KK | |
| Traded as | TYO: 9783 |
| Industry | Educational Services |
| Founded | January 28, 1955 |
| Headquarters | Okayama, Japan |
Key people |
Eikoh Harada (President) |
| Revenue |
 JPY 463.3 billion (2015) |
|
JPY 29.2 billion (2015) | |
|
JPY -10.7 billion (2015) | |
Number of employees | 20,145 (consolidated) (2015) |
| Subsidiaries | Berlitz Language Schools |
| Website |
benesse |
Benesse Corporation (ベネッセコーポレーション Benesse Kōporēshon) is a Japanese company which focuses on correspondence education and publishing. Based in Okayama-City, it is the parent company of Berlitz Language Schools, which in turn is the parent company of ELS Language Centers. Benesse is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (listing code 9783).
Origin of the company name
The company name is derived from the Latin words "bene" (well) and "esse" (being).
Company history
The company was founded in 1955 as Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd. (株式会社福武書店 Kabushiki-gaisha Fukutake Shoten). In 1994, it completed the construction of the Fukutake Shoten Tokyo Building (now Benesse Corporation Tokyo Building) in Tama-City, Tokyo. In April 1995, the company was renamed Benesse Corporation.
A major breakthrough in the company's history was the acquisition of a majority stake in Berlitz Language Schools, which had gone public in 1989. In 2001, Benesse completed the take-over by acquiring 100% ownership of Berlitz and making it a private company once again.