the japanese are not learning english

English is being learnt by more and more around the world - but not in Japan... 

Education First puts Japan at 53rd out of 100 countries measured on English proficiency. The number has been dropping steadily for years. So why does Japan have such low rates of English ability compared to countries that have less than half the time in school and spend far less money on education?

The REAL Reasons Why Japanese People Can’t Speak English | Live Work Play Japan

Many reasons are cultural - with a very interesting look here at the issues:

Japan Doesn’t Want to Become Another Casualty of English

English skills bring status, but the public remains stubbornly bad at learning.

In a 2019 survey, Japan dropped to 53rd in global English proficiency, squarely in the “low proficiency” band. Japan ranks near the bottom of Asian and developed countries alike despite constant reshuffling and refinement of the English educational curriculum in schools and the frequent assertions, acknowledged by Japan’s Ministry of Education, that English-language skills are needed to compete in the modern economy.

The failure to adopt English is particularly unexpected given that the English language—and the whiteness associated with it—signifies privilege in Japan. Countless advertisements flaunt white foreigners on TV and use English aptitude as the basis for selling products. Top companies such as Rakuten, an e-commerce website and the Japanese competitor to Amazon, place immense weight on English proficiency, whether or not English is needed for an employee’s role. Eikaiwa (English conversation) programs run daily on TV, and accounts featuring videos of Japanese American children speaking English cultivate tens of thousands of Instagram followers.

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Why Japan Doesn't Learn English

A lot has to do with the education system - and the way the Japanese language works:

6 Reasons Why Japanese Cannot Speak English According to a Japanese Local | tsunagu Japan

Reasons why the Japanese are not fluent in English - fromJapan

And with the sounds of English being so different:

The reason Japanese have difficulty with English is because of the limited range of vocalization used in the Japanese language. Unless pronunciations and nuances of foreign languages are learned in childhood, the human ear and brain has difficulty in discerning them.

‘Japanglish’: Why Do Japanese Have Difficulty Speaking English? | JAPAN Forward

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