Why Are Japanese People So Bad at English? -- How English Education May Have Optimized for Measurement Rather Than Use --

This paper examines why many Japanese people may feel uncomfortable speaking English despite years of English education and, in some cases, high scores on standardized English tests. Rather than assuming that Japanese people are inherently poor at English, the paper considers whether Japanese English education has become optimized for abilities that are easy to measure, such as vocabulary recognition, reading comprehension, grammar, and test performance. The paper distinguishes between understanding English and generating English spontaneously, and explores how examination systems may influence what students practice and ultimately become good at. The central question is not simply why Japanese people are “bad at English,” but what kind of English ability the educational system has been designed to develop—and whether that ability is the same as the ability people actually need to use English in everyday communication.