The language barrier is often one of the most prominent concerns for foreigners who want to live in Japan, but how are things now?

The country has been struggling with an ineffective English education system for a long while, as the main goal has mostly been about passing an exam rather than being able to hold a conversation.

What’s more, due to the culture, students have always been afraid to make mistakes, which has led them to not participate in classes. Adding the culture of shyness and being considerate of others’ time to the equation, and you have a class full of students politely nodding even when they don’t understand the subject.

However, things are changing rapidly, especially since 2011. In 2011, English education in Japan became compulsory starting from fifth grade, and this threshold has since been further lowered to third grade relatively recently. Thus far, the government’s efforts seem to be fruitful. According to a report from 2022. English proficiency among Japanese students has been consistently increasing

All in all, English proficiency has been an increasingly common point of concern among Japanese parents in recent years. A recent ranking shows that English lessons, or more specifically, “English conversation” lessons, have been the third most popular tutoring subject for children.

Therefore, with the help of globalization and the government’s efforts, it’s safe to say that English proficiency levels are consistently rising among the Japanese population.

Koji Kitada. Certified real estate agent.