The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) was established in 1986 as a non-profit organization under the auspices of the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry (currently the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) to promote internationalization for individuals and companies. Since that time, IIBC has been involved in a diverse range of activities with a global perspective, in collaboration with various associated organizations inside and outside Japan to fulfill its mission of promoting effective communication in the global business environment. IIBC continues to promote internationalization of individuals and companies by supporting the development of global human resources and to internationally facilitate mutual understanding through a range of activities including the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) programs.

The TOEIC test was developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the world's largest nonprofit test development organization established in 1947. ETS is based in Princeton, New Jersey in the U.S., and currently has about 2,800 employees. ETS undertakes the development of a range of tests under its mission of “advancing quality and equity in education.” In terms of equity, very strict guidelines for fairness are in place at ETS to define methods of developing and implementing tests, and even regarding how scores should be reported after tests. In terms of quality, ETS ensures that consistency in assessment is maintained at all times by carefully checking for any inconsistency at every phase of test development and implementation. ETS also continuously improves the accuracy and quality of each test by analyzing and verifying whether tests are accurately measuring a particular ability and meeting the set purpose, thereby maintaining the credibility and validity of each test.

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